Trinamul national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday thanked Calcutta High Court for its decision in favour of the Opposition’s demand to deploy central forces for panchayat polls, asserting his party would win anyway and suggesting that victory would be sweeter in this scenario.
“For the first time in decades, other than the minor aberration of 2013, central forces are being deployed for the panchayat elections. The State Election Commission, which is autonomous, could have its own take on this, as would the state government. On behalf of the party, I thank the high court for the decision on central forces,” he told journalists at a Meet the Press event in Calcutta Press Club.
“It (deployment of central forces) has benefited Trinamul. It is a blessing in disguise for us,” he added.
The Trinamul-led Bengal government and the state poll panel, reportedly biased toward the ruling dispensation in the state, had fiercely fought the judicial battle in the high court and the Supreme Court, wherein the BJP, the Congress and others demanded central forces for rural elections.
The Opposition’s assumption was that state police would be heavily biased in favour of Trinamul, and hence central forces were needed.
After Calcutta High Court ruled in favour of the deployment of central forces, in a first since 2013, the Supreme Court refused to alter it.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who has steered clear of criticising the judiciary for the decision, has been bitterly critical of the deployment and unsparing in her attack at the Opposition for facilitating it.
“Let every booth have central forces. You talk about one personnel each, I recommend four… 10 personnel per booth,” said her nephew on Thursday. “In all Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Bengal since 2011 (when Trinamul assumed power), central forces were deployed. What were the results?”
“Bring in forces from the US, from wherever you please...,” the Trinamul general secretary added.
Abhishek also accused the Opposition of being heavily reliant on the ED, the CBI and other central agencies, and the judiciary, asking how these parties hoped to be in the contest without the blessings of the people.
“The votes would be cast by the people, not the forces.... Trinamul lies in their hearts, how would you eliminate that?” he asked.
Responding to questions on the level of violence across Bengal in the run-up to rural polls this time, since the nomination-filing phase, Abhishek was dismissive.
“We all want elections to be free, fair and completely devoid of violence. But if some incident takes place somewhere… do you think it was all under our control? The state election commission is conducting these elections under high court orders, for any matter, one has to go to the high court,” he said.
The situation so far this time is, statistically perhaps, less alarming than several recent editions of rural polls in Bengal. But there still have been 20-odd deaths, including four more on Thursday.
“We want every election to take place in peace, free of violence and terror. Any death is painful, unfortunate. But those politicising deaths are politically bankrupt,” said Abhishek.
“We want to bring to a permanent end this culture of violence in Bengal, we have been trying to do so. But where are we now compared to 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013…?” he asked. “We want zero such deaths in future...."
