Trinamool terrorising opposition: Left Front

Image
IANS New Delhi
Last Updated : Apr 01 2014 | 9:02 PM IST

West Bengal's opposition Left Front Tuesday alleged that leaders and workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress were terrorising its supporters and expressed fears about the collapse of the law and order during the coming Lok Sabha polls.

In a memorandum to the Election Commission in Delhi, a high-level Left Front delegation demanded steps on the part of the EC to put a stop to the "unlawful activities" of the Trinamool and restore the democratic "fabric and polity" in the interest of free and fair elections.

"The unabashed bias of the police raises apprehensions of a collapse of law and order during the April-May elections and the inability of the people to have a free and fair election. Moreover, now, the general law and order situation is far from satisfactory," said the memorandum.

Alleging that there was "very little space for the opposition in the campaign, the delegation demanded the Commission take steps to ensure "equal opportunity for every party".

It charged the leaders and workers of the ruling party with "threatening" the supporters of opposition parties, tearing off posters and other publicity materials, besides "ransacking and torching the offices of Left parties and even the residences of Left supporters".

"The sole purpose of the miscreants is to terrorise people so that they stay away from exercising their voting rights. In every case, the police have been informed. Mostly, they have remained mute spectators and in some cases arrested the victims on false allegations while allowing the Trinamool miscreants to go scot free."

The delegation led by West Bengal Left Front chairman Biman Bose listed violations of the Model Code of Conduct by the Trinamool leaders "including chief minister, ministers and workers", and assaults, molestations of women and murderous attacks on workers of opposition parties.

"This is creating unprecedented tensions prohibiting the holding of free and fair elections in the state," the memorandum said.

They also demanded posting of police observers in all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies and claimed four police superintendents were behaving in a partisan manner.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 01 2014 | 8:56 PM IST

Next Story