TMC’s desperate attempts at stopping BJP from gaining ground in West Bengal

West Bengal has been facing the worst law and order situation in India, under the rule of Mamata Banerjee. The incidence of crime, which has been peaking at an alarming rate coupled with the strong arm politics of the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, has created a fearful situation for the people of the state. The 2019 general elections in West Bengal have also been seeing the fallout of this violence under the rule of the TMC led West Bengal government.  

Mamata Banerjee has been trying desperately to stop the BJP from gaining political ground in her state. These  headlines from various leading national dailies are highly distressing for a democratic nation:

• Amit Shah’s Jhargam rally in Bengal cancelled: Reports say Mamata admin rejected request for chopper landing (Jan 23)
• West Bengal government denies permission for Amit Shah’s chopper to land at Malda for rally(Jan 18)
• Shivraj’s Murshidabad Rally Cancelled as West Bengal Govt Denied Permission For Chopper Landing: BJP(Feb 6)
• Yogi Adityanath’s chopper not allowed to land in Bengal, UP CM calls govt ‘anti people’(Feb 3)
• West Bengal BJP cancels Yogi Adityanath’s Bankura rally in absence of permission for chopper landing(Feb 4)
• BJP president Amit Shah’s Jadavpur rally cancelled as he’s been denied permission to hold rally, land chopper(May 13)

However, they only show part of the picture. Various incidents of poll violence and the murders of political activists have largely gone unnoticed and have even been systematically shoved under the rug by the so called ‘neutral’ media.

Recent violence in the election rally of BJP chief Amit Shah just adds to the ongoing political violence which has plagued the state for long, first under the rule of communist parties and now under Mamata Banerjee’s TMC. This level of violence backed by a state government is sure to go down as a dark period in the history of India. Calling the incident “a black chapter in democracy”, Amit Shah said: “TMC is resorting to violence to stop us.” He said the stone-pelting and arson was the handiwork of “anti-social elements” at the “behest of the TMC”.

He also added, “Our workers and media persons sustained injuries in the attack by Trinamool. This incident appears to be a part of some larger conspiracy of the Mamata government. Violence has no space in democracy… Democracy has been strangled there… And the question is not the BJP and TMC or the central government and Bengal government. This entire matter is between the public of Bengal and the Bengal government. The Bengal public is upset with the Bengal government’s actions and its atrocities, and wants to make its decision in a democratic manner. This is an attempt by the TMC to stop that,” PM Modi said.

This shameful incident also witnessed TMC goons vandalizing a bust of the great Sanskrit scholar and social reformer, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. However, TMC trying to save its face has blamed the BJP for the same. The bust was located deep inside the campus of Calcutta University, which only students including TMC student union workers had access to, this further raises big questions on the level of politics the TMC has decided to play in order to hinder a peaceful electoral exercise.

Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, born in 1820 in a poor Brahmin family at Birshingha in Midnapur showed throughout his life what a genius was capable of accomplishing even when unaided by favorable circumstances. Educated at the Government Sanskrit College, he won laurels and was honored with the proud distinction of Vidyasagar (“sea of learning”) by his professors in recognition of his vast and varied learning. As an educationist, he raised the status of the Sanskrit College, and enforced strict discipline in it, at no small cost to himself. Sanskrit learning was also made easy by his introductory grammar and his various easy Sanskrit readers. He was also a social reformer and was a strong advocate of widow remarriage.

Swapan Dasgupta, a Member of Parliament, had also criticised the ongoing violence in Bengal. He tweeted “The whole of India has witnessed road shows by different parties this election season. Why does violence erupt only in West Bengal? Because only Bengal has a Chief Minister who gets the first prize in insults and intolerance. Her Biswa Bangla is Bishakta Bangla.”

Another tweet clearly question why Mamata Banerjee felt the need to inspect the broken statue in the aftermath of the violence.

After suffering for long under Communist rule, the people of Bengal saw TMC as a ray of new hope, however, the strong arm rule of the TMC proved to be even worse. Mamata Banerjee is resorting to open violence and this is surely an indication of fear and desperation on her part.

BJP is poised to make huge electoral gains in West Bengal as has been indicated by various survey agencies. The silence of the ‘neutral’ media over these incidents not only exposes their hypocrisy but also raises sharp questions on their support of violence to meet political ends.