If one lives in West Bengal and has the audacity to not support the Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and instead put their weight behind the BJP, one will now be deprived of the basic necessities in the state. In a shocking incident that reveals the extent to which democracy has eroded in Mamata’s Bengal, West Midnapore saw the sprucing up of posters with the diktat that local shopkeepers are not allowed to sell ration and grocery items to the BJP workers.
While there is no sign of the post-poll violence in Bengal abating anytime soon, the TMC has come up with another strategy to ensure that no one would dare to do the BJP’s bidding in the state in the upcoming elections.
A poster asking shop owners not to sell anything to 18 BJP organisers of a Midnapore village has managed to create national headlines as democracy increasingly deteriorates under the Mamata Banerjee government.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressing her shock tweeted, “This is shocking. Would urge CM @MamataOfficial to see that ALL citizens in West Bengal are protected and not ostracised or denied the basics. Otherwise, a true shame.”
The fatwa styled poster asked the villagers to boycott BJP workers of booths 176 and 179 under the Keshpur assembly constituency, as the BJP had managed to get a lead there in the recently concluded Bengal elections. Such is the ostracisation that even the shop and tea stall owners have been asked to stop selling items to 18 BJP karyakartas.
Purportedly, the fatwa was issued by Mahishda Trinamool and those who dared to not follow it would face a heavy penalty if they failed to comply with the orders without “consent of the party”.
The West Midnapore police have lodged a suo moto FIR after the poster was found in the Mahishda market area last week while the TMC denies the charges as the party maintains that the poster was not issued from anyone belonging to the Trinamool.
In another instance, just 100 metres away from the BJP office, the anti-rowdy section of Kolkata Police recovered 51 crude bombs filled in a bag on Saturday evening.
There seems to be a concerted attempt by Mamata and the TMC to rout both the BJP and its supporters out of West Bengal, which is against the basic tenets of the Indian constitution.
