The fake news industry has been flourishing in India in the recent past. The Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre has previously tried to curb the activities of websites and media houses which freely indulge in spreading fake news. It resulted in an outrage by the whole cabal of opposition, right from Congress to CPI (M), with the liberal media houses in tow. But the BJP, facing stiff opposition, could not go through with their decision. Opposition and such media houses thrive on spreading rumours in order to back their baseless claims made against BJP and its allies. Rumours of a BJP-CPI (M) alliance in WB started making headlines in the media yesterday. Panchayat polls were supposed to take place in West Bengal in three phases on May 1, 3rd and 5th. BJP and other opposition parties had moved the Calcutta High Court to intervene because Trinamool Congress workers had resorted to violence in the campaigning and nomination process. The news probably originated from reports of protests which were carried out against violence by TMC goons. BJP workers in Nadia had taken out protest marches against the TMC party’s unlawful behaviour. Being victims of TMC’s violence, grassroot workers of the CPI (M)and Congress in the Nadia district joined these protests as well.
In an article published in Millenium Post, Mamata Banerjee had accused BJP and CPI (M) of forming a nexus in West Bengal. She had also denied accusations of violence levied against her and counter alleged that the attacks on BJP were ‘fake news’. The audacity of Mamata Banerjee and the TMC knows no bounds as she even went on to attack the iconic Anadabazar Patrika for writing pieces against her party. The Left-leaning media houses took these statements as facts and mixed them with the latest protest marches to come up with a fabricated story of a potential BJP-CPI (M) alliance in West Bengal. The articles which began to appear in yesterday’s websites were not based on facts. If the protest marches taken out by grass root workers are taken as a parameter, then even Congress should be a part of this apparent BJP-CPI (M) alliance going by the same rationale.
The reasons are simple, BJP is on the rise in West Bengal today and CPI (M) has already been rejected by the people of West Bengal. Moreover, the BJP and the CPI (M) are on opposite extremes of the political spectrum and disagree on practically every issue ranging from economy to society, and even foreign policy. An alliance with the CPI (M) in West Bengal is not going to help BJP in any way as there is no solid voter base for the CPI (M) left in the state. CPI (M) and Congress have been allies at both the state and national level in India. It just doesn’t make any sense for the BJP to hold hands with its opposition’s allies. The fake news was spread to trigger BJP workers and voters in the state. BJP would face considerable resentment from the people if it allies with CPI (M). There has really been no major difference between CPI (M) and TMC in the manner in which they have governed the state, and violence has been their most effective tool in the past, as it continues to be today. CPI (M) and TMC are two sides of the same coin, and any move towards an alliance beteween the BJP and the CPI (M) would be a massive betrayal for BJP supporters across the nation. There is not an iota of truth in the story that has enraged BJP supporters throughout the country. BJP could never join ranks with a party which is systematically killing RSS and BJP workers in Kerala with impunity. BJP’s voter base consists of people who vote for economic development, growth and traditionalism. It is very different from the divisive and ideologically driven Left and Center-Left party’s voter base.
The fake news which made headlines for a full day managed to alienate the core BJP base which is as anti-Left as it is Right-leaning. It also projected a weak image of the BJP in the state and this is precisely what the TMC wanted. BJP leaders from West Bengal did not pay any attention to this piece of fake news as it lacked any merit whatsoever. The West Bengal unit of BJP should thank Sitaram Yechury for his clarifications on a potential alliance with the BJP. Sitaram Yechury took to Twitter in the evening to destroy these rumours of BJP-CPI (M) alliance.
His tweet read “Utter lies and rumours spread by TMC to distract from the violence it has unleashed on the Left Front cadres. We categorically deny any such understanding and remain opposed to both BJP and TMC. @thewire_in”
Utter lies and rumours spread by TMC to distract from the violence it has unleashed on the Left Front cadres. We categorically deny any such understanding and remain opposed to both the BJP and TMC. @thewire_in pic.twitter.com/wNb0ifnw2F
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 8, 2018
Motivated rumours, canards and lies are being spread by TMC which has a deal with BJP on communal polarisation and on saving its corrupt. Biman Bose has denied any understanding with the BJP and we stand firm in our opposition to both TMC and BJP. https://t.co/MK4DxrarJc
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 8, 2018
It is important that people are not misled by such baseless claims. BJP voter base and leaders will now breathe a sigh of relief in West Bengal and TMC will once again be left exposed. BJP should take a valuable lesson from this incident and should nip the evil in the bud in future.
The rescheduled polling will be held on May 14th in West Bengal and as expected, BJP and CPI (M) will contest against and not with each other.
