TMC complicit in panchayat poll violence in West Bengal: Sitaram Yechury

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday alleged that the Trinamool Congress was complicit in violence in West Bengal and practising double standards by speaking for democracy to oust the BJP and denying the same in the state.

The statement comes days after the CPI(M) and Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) took part in a meeting of opposition parties which resolved to fight together against the BJP.

Referring to the panchayat polls in West Bengal, Yechury alleged that it has become a norm that elections under the TMC will be marked by large-scale violence and terror. He said 10 people have already lost their lives including a young CPI(M) activist Mansoor Alam.

"They can't say they want democracy in India and therefore, oust the BJP, and then in Bengal ... you throttle democracy. That is not acceptable," he said at a press conference at the end of a two-day Polit Bureau meeting in Delhi.

"Despite such politics of violence and terror, the people of West Bengal are resisting this murder of democracy and courageously coming forward to establish people's panchayats.

"In the last panchayat elections, 34 per cent of the seats were uncontested due to unprecedented terror. In these elections, resisting such terror, the uncontested seats have drastically reduced by nearly two-thirds," Yechury said.

Opposition parties have alleged that their candidates were intimidated and assaulted to prevent them from filing nomination papers by people owing allegiance to the ruling Trinamool Congress at various places, but the TMC has denied the charge.

Widespread violence during the filing of nominations for the three-tier panchayat polls has left at least eight people dead and several injured in various parts of the state in the past two weeks.

On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the CPI (M) and the Congress, saying their actions of "playing second fiddle" to the saffron camp in the state are throwing a spanner in her efforts to form a grand opposition alliance against the BJP at the Centre.

Speaking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US visit, Yechury said, "The PM speaks like Gandhi abroad and like Godse while in India."

He claimed that the PM's official state visit to the US has further cemented India as the "subordinate junior partner of US imperialism".

"In its quest for strengthening its global hegemony, the US sees India as a crucial strategic and military partner to isolate China.

"Biden administration's refusal to raise issues of human rights and democracy in India under the Modi government has come in for widespread criticism, with even former President Barack Obama raising concerns. 75 members of the US Congress have raised issues of concern on the Modi government's record on human rights and democracy," Yechury said.