TMC trying to gag democracy in West Bengal: BJP

The BJP today accused West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress of not allowing its workers to file their nomination papers for the panchayat elections and said it was trying to "gag democracy" in the state.

The nomination process for the elections started on April 2 and hundreds of workers have been attacked by the TMC since then, Union minister Babul Supriyo alleged.

He said the party would take out a protest march at Raj Ghat today and sit on 'dharna' in Parliament tomorrow.

"The state's chief minister Mamata Banerjee has told her party colleagues that she wants her candidates to get elected on half the seats without any election. That's why TMC and she are gagging democracy in the state," Supriyo, the BJP's MP from Asansol in the state, told reporters at the BJP headquarters here.

The party also showed images and a video of the purported attacks carried out on BJP workers.

A West Bengal BJP leader moved the Supreme Court today, seeking the court's intervention to ensure that the BJP's nominees are allowed to file nominations, which closes on April 9.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud has promised to hear the matter tomorrow.

The petition also sought deployment of Central forces for smooth conduct of the panchayat polls scheduled to be held in May.