West Bengal Pradesh Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requesting her “urgent intervention to stop the intimidation and abduction of the elected Opposition candidates prior to the formation of the three-tier panchayat boards”.
In the letter, Mr. Chowdhury said despite violence in the panchayat polls, wherever Congress candidates have won in panchayat polls ,”police/political leaders/ goons are threatening them by slapping murder & other charges thus compelling themselves to save their lives through surrender by accepting Trinamool Congress membership”.
“I would sincerely request you to desist from using police and goons by torturing, terrorising and forcing other party’s candidates and supporters to monopolise the Trinamool Congress’s dominance,” the Congress MP said the letter dated August 6.
He alleged of “insatiable thirst of the activists of Trinamool Congress party for more power and lucre is being instrumental in shaping the concept of the monocratic rule in Bengal”.
“Is this a civilised way of winning elections in the State of West Bengal,” he asked Ms. Banerjee and urged her to personally look into the matter.
High Court’s directions
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Monday directed the Superintendent of Police, Murshidabad, to submit a report on the reported abduction of three candidates of Opposition parties at a gram panchayat in Nowda in the district. Justice Jay Sengupta directed the officer to file a report by August 10.
In another development, the Opposition candidates from Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas district have approached the High Court seeking security before the formation of panchayat board. Four Opposition candidates from a gram panchayat in Mathurapur were allegedly abducted on July 27 from Kolkata and later returned to their residence.
While the panchayat polls concluded last month the boards of three-tier panchayats are likely to be set up by August 16.
