‘If TMC was instigating…’ Mamta government gave this argument on the violence in Bengal Panchayat elections

West Bengal Panchayat Elections 2023: West Bengal Panchayat Election 2023 concluded on Saturday (July 08) with heavy violence. During this, 13 people died, dozens were injured and polling stations were attacked. A day after this, on Sunday (July 09), the ruling party Trinamool Congress (TMC) denied the allegations of widespread violence.

According to a report by NDTV, TMC says that out of 61 thousand polling stations, only 60 incidents of violence are reported. Party leaders Kunal Ghosh, Shashi Panja and Bratya Basu held a press conference and clarified the matter. These people said, “Any death is regrettable and express sympathy towards those who have come under its grip.”

Allegations of violence dismissed

TMC leaders rejected the allegations of election violence outright and said that it has nothing to do with reality. Also claimed that opposition parties and some media platforms are ‘propagating violence’ to defame the elections.

Kunal Ghosh says, “Opposition parties are trying to describe the entire election process as violent, but the credit for the largely peaceful and fair election goes to the general public.” He further claimed, “Most of the deaths were of TMC workers, so if Trinamool was instigating the violence, why would it target its own workers?”

At the same time, Shashi Panja pointed out the lapse of the central forces in controlling the violence and said, “Opposition parties had demanded the deployment of central forces. Where were these central forces if there was widespread violence and why could they not stop the violence?”

She adds, “There have been instances where central forces including the Border Security Force were seen on camera threatening voters and asking them to vote for a specific party. This shows that the central forces were deployed at the behest of political masters.”

What to say of BSF?

While on the matter, Border Security Force (BSF) Deputy Inspector General SS Guleria had earlier said that despite his repeated requests for information on sensitive polling booths, the West Bengal State Election Commission did not provide sufficient details, which could lead to polling in these areas. hampered their ability to adequately secure the

Ahead of the panchayat polls, the State Election Commission had identified 4,834 sensitive booths out of a total of 61,539 and requested for additional security, reports NDTV. The Trinamool Congress alleges that the opposition targeted non-sensitive booths to create disturbances.

13 people died in violence

At least 13 people were killed and several others injured in violent clashes across the state during the panchayat elections on Saturday. The areas most affected by the violence include Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Nadia.

read this also: Bengal Panchayat Polls: ‘Information about sensitive booths not found in Bengal’, BSF’s statement on election violence, BJP bid – joke