Amidst allegations of violence in the April 18 civic poll, former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today said the people of West Bengal would have to take to streets to get back their "lost rights".
"There is no option but to put up resistance against what's going on in West Bengal. I do not want any violence or bloodshed while doing that. People have to take to the streets to build up a resistance to reclaim their freedom of speech and expression," Chatterjee said.
He was speaking at an "open forum" set up to protest against alleged violence in the April 18 election to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
"To reclaim their lost freedom of speech, freedom to choose their leader and their freedom to live in the state, people have to fight but that should be through non-violence because people do not have police nor they have the machine (arms and weapons)," he said.
Describing the "fight" as the second war for Independence after the British Raj, the former CPI-M leader said that people in the state have to hold meetings and rallies because the ruling government was only "scared of the people and their rallies".
"People need to hold rallies and meetings because this ruling government is only scared of them and their rallies. It's quite sorry that I've to come here and talk on this at this age and when I am unwell. I do not know what time we are passing through," Chatterjee said.
He also alleged that the government officials were used by the government for their benefit.
"I can clearly see that they (government officials) are being used for the party," Chatterjee said.
"State Election Commissioner S R Upadhyay is a good officer. I know him for long. During his tenure as the SDO of Bolpur he had done good work. He was also at the Raj Bhavan. But look what happens when a person is in bad company.
