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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday further muddied Bengal’s poll waters by suggesting that 40 TMC legislators may quit the party after May 23, the day Lok Sabha election results will be out.
He made this stunning statement at a rally in Serampore – a town less than 30 kms from Kolkata. “Didi, on 23 May, the day of results, the lotus will bloom everywhere and your MLAs will leave you and run. Even today, Didi, 40 of your MLAs are in contact with me,” said Modi at the rally.
Accusing the prime minister of horse trading, TMC leader Derek O’Brien said his party will take its complaint to the Election Commission. “Expiry Babu PM, let’s get this straight. Nobody will go with you. Not even one councillor. Are you election campaigning or horse trading! Your expiry date is near. Today, we are complaining to the Election Commission. Charging you with horse trading #LokSabhaElection2019,” tweeted O’Brien.
With electoral stakes stacked high on both sides – Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress as well as the newly emergent opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – tempers, too, are running high. Among other things, escalating tension is evident in numerous incidents of violence marring each stage of polling in the state.
Violence erupted in several districts and towns of Bengal as eight Lok Sabha constituencies went to polls in the fourth phase on Monday. These constituencies were spread across five districts – Bardhaman, Asansol, Bardhaman Purba, Birbhum, Nadia and Murshidabad.
All through the day, news of violence poured in from different regions. However, this did not prevent a high voter turnout which stood at 66% at 5 pm.
TMC and BJP workers clashed in Asansol, currently represented by BJP’s Union minister Babul Supriyo, who is pitted against TMC nominee and actor Moon Moon Sen.
Following an altercation between Supriyo and officers at a polling booth, workers of respective parties clashed outside in Asansol’s Barabani area. Irate TMC workers vandalised the BJP minister’s car, breaking the windshield.
On the other side, in a startling admission, Sen told reporters she wasn’t aware of the violence since she had woken up late – because her “bed tea” was served late. “They gave me my bed tea very late so I woke up very late. What can I say? I really don’t know,” Sen told NDTV.
Violence also erupted in Birbhum district’s Nanoor with TMC and BJP workers clashing over alleged poll malpractice. Visuals of women wielding bamboo sticks, protesting vandalisation of their homes, did the rounds. Residents in the area, who support the BJP, alleged that TMC workers forcibly prevented them from voting. At Dubrajpur, a Central Armed Police Forces officer allegedly fired a few shots in the air following a row with locals. Clashes were also reported at Nalhati.
In an unusual move, the Election Commission chose to keep Birbhum’s TMC leader and the party’s strongman Anubrata Mondal under surveillance. The commission barred Mondal from using his phone, instructing his movements to be videographed. Mondal is charged with voter intimidation.
Responding to the violence, a BJP delegation met up with EC officials and demanded deployment of adequate central forces to ensure free and fair elections in the state. TMC leaders too knocked on the poll body’s doors, drawing attention to the excessive force of central forces.
SP puts up jawan – sacked for going public with poor quality food – from Varanasi
Meanwhile, in an interesting move, The Samajwadi Party decided to replace its Varanasi Lok Sabha nominee Shalini Yadav with Tej Bahadur Yadav, a former BSF jawan. Yadav will take on the current sitting MP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It may be worthwhile recalling in this context that the prime minister has centred a large part of his ongoing election campaign around the army and how much his party values their contribution, unlike the opposition, which, the prime minister alleged, has been “insulting” the forces” by raising questions about the Balakot strike.
Two years ago, Yadav was sacked from the BSF after he put out a video complaining about the poor quality of food served to the border security personnel. “I had raised the issue of corruption but I was sacked. My first objective will be to strengthen and eliminate corruption in the forces,” Yadav said. The video featuring Yadav in army fatigue had gone viral.
The jawan was sacked by the Summary Security Force Court at Samba for violating the SOP (standard operating procedure). He was charged with carrying two mobile phones on active duty and posting his photographs in uniform on social media.
Supreme Court to hear Congress petition against EC
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear a petition filed by a Congress MP charging Narendra Modi and Amit Shah with violating the model code of conduct (MCC) in the course of their campaign. Headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, a bench on Monday said they would hear Congress MP Sushmita Dev’s petition accusing the EC of not taking any action on her complaint.
Arguing on behalf of Dev in court, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that four weeks have passed since the MCC was enforced in the country. During this period, both Modi and Shah have been violating the poll guidelines, alleged Singhvi.
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