‘Ready to give ‘qurbaani’: TMC leader on Calcutta HC order ahead of Bengal panchayat polls

Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra claimed on Thursday — after a division bench of the Calcutta high court directed the state election commission to request for the Central Paramilitary forces amid the ongoing violence in West Bengal districts ahead of the panchayat elections — that the party will face the central forces and is even ready to face their “torture”.

Mitra also questioned the funds to be spent on central forces, claiming that Bengal was not receiving “a single penny” for development purposes.

“The people of Bengal are with Mamata Banerjee. I don’t know how many thousands of crores will be spent on these central forces where West Bengal is not getting a single penny for the development of the state. It is a court verdict, everybody has to accept it but don’t forget that the votes will be given by the voters,” Mitra told news agency news agency ANI.

“We will give our blood, we are ready to give ‘qurbaani’ but we will fight back. We will face the central forces but we will prove that the TMC will win and if we have to give our lives, we are ready to face the torture of central forces,” Mitra added.

At least four people were killed across West Bengal on Thursday, the last day of filing nominations for the three-tier panchayat polls. On Thursday, the division bench of chief justice TS Sivagnanam and justice Uday Kumar asked the poll body to seek paramilitary assistance from the Union government within 48 hours, and deploy them in every part of the state, and not just the seven districts — Birbhum, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Murshidabad, East Midnapore and Jalpaiguri — that are categorised as sensitive. This comes two days after the high court had ordered the SEC to evaluate the law and order situation in view of the ensuing violence and deploy central forces in sensitive districts as well as other areas witnessing violence.

On Thursday Banerjee said her party was not involved in the Islampur violence. “It was perpetrated by those who were not given a ticket by our party because they lost credibility. I have asked the police to take strong action. At Bhangar, the party who won the (assembly) polls are indulging in violence. Communal slogans were raised when properties were ransacked. There was some retaliation from our side yesterday. I will not hide the truth,” Banerjee said.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, meanwhile, welcomed the high court’s order. “The decision that has come this evening regarding the violence that took place during the filing of nominations for Panchayat elections is very clear. The decision will end political violence in Bengal & restore democracy. The village panchayat will conduct these elections in a democratic & peaceful manner. It is a good judgement,” ANI quoted Adhikari as saying.

Panchayat polls violence

Crude bombs were reportedly thrown at the Block Development Office in Birbhum’s Ahmadpur. However, no casualties have been reported in the incident.

Overall, the death toll in poll-related violence has risen to at least five, after Congress worker Phoolchand Sheikh died in Murshidabad on June 9.

Under the schedule issued by the state election commission (SEC) on June 8, nominations will be accepted till June 15, they can be withdrawn till June 15, with polling on July 8, and counting on July 11.“We will comply with the court order,” State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha said on Thursday night.