The Left Front on Tuesday hit out at the Election Commission for bringing in polling personnel from neighbouring states to ensure neutrality.
Though election commissioner T. N. Krishnamurthy had justified its decision by saying that the EC’s move was based on ground realities and a similar action was taken in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, the Left Front argued that situation of the two trouble-torn states were vastly different from that of Bengal.
“There was manpower shortage in J&K and Assam. Also, the situation in the two states was different . It is a discrimination and an insult to the people of the state,” Left Front chairman Biman Bose said after an emergency meeting of the Front on Tuesday. “The EC should maintain its neutrality to enjoy the trust of the people.”
Describing the steps taken by the EC as unprecedented, the Front chairman said, “We have never seen such bias from the commission in the last 20-25 years. T.N. Seshan used to be caustic in his remarks. But this is unprecedented.”
Bose insisted that his remarks did not stem from any fear that the Front might lose the polls. “We will win comfortably. The Trinamool and the BJP, who influenced the EC by submitting false reports against us, would get a befitting reply from the people of this state,” he said.
Lashing out at election observers despatched to Bengal, he said that the polling officials were systematically overriding their jurisdiction. “Ratnottoma Rawla, observer for Asansol, told voters she would see to it that the CPI(M) did not win this time. In Ranigunj, she asked voters whether the CPI(M) gave them money before the polls or whether they terrorised them.
{{/usCountry}}Lashing out at election observers despatched to Bengal, he said that the polling officials were systematically overriding their jurisdiction. “Ratnottoma Rawla, observer for Asansol, told voters she would see to it that the CPI(M) did not win this time. In Ranigunj, she asked voters whether the CPI(M) gave them money before the polls or whether they terrorised them.
{{/usCountry}}“In Katwa, the observer asked whether the CPI(M) used revolvers or other firearms during the polls. A.Y.R. Krishna Rao, observer for Diamond Harbour, is trying to browbeat senior police officials in South 24-Parganas. We urge the EC to restrain such observers. They are exceeding their rights. The EC will lose people trust because of this,” the Front chairman said.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) candidate from Kolkata North-east, Md Salim, and party’s Kolkata district secretary Raghunath Kushari said they would send video clippings to the EC to show that Trinamool’s Ajit Panja was stoking religious and communal passion in campaign.
“Panja is campaigning in favour of Muslims in the minority areas and in favour of Hindus in the Hindu dominated areas of Kolkata North-east. This will trigger communal tension in the areas before the polls and may have dangerous consequences,” Salim said.
The Front chairman later said that the decision on whether to pitch for a Third Front government or to support a Congress-led one, would be decided at the CPI(M) politburo and central committee meetings to be held after the results were out.