Opposition parties back Mamata Banerjee; her decision not to quit a protest against Centre & EC, says Sanjay Raut
The opposition NCP (SP) also supported Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Banerjee, alleging that democratic processes were being subverted in West Bengal and central institutions and administrative machinery were being used to influence the election results.
Also Read: ‘I will not resign, we have not lost’: Mamata Banerjee rejects Bengal verdict
Speaking to reporters, Raut argued that there was a need to unite against “the Centre’s dictatorship and the partisan behavior of the Election Commission”. The Rajya Sabha member alleged that the poll body has become a “slave” of the Centre.
He said the opposition must decide whether to participate in the elections.
“Mamata Banerjee’s failure to resign is part of her agitation against the government (Centre), the Election Commission (EC) and a series of actions against democracy,” Raut said. he said.
He added that it remains to be seen which direction the agitation will take. Banerjee refused to resign as chief minister on Tuesday, claiming that the West Bengal Assembly poll decision was “a conspiracy and not a people’s order”.
The BJP on Monday scored a landslide victory with 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, ending TMC’s 15-year uninterrupted rule. Banerjee dismissed the result as “engineered” and maintained that her party was fighting the Election Commission and not the BJP. TMC could manage only 80 seats.
In a post on Facebook, Raut said Banerjee’s decision not to resign was completely justified. He also tried to draw parallels with the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis.
Also Read: Mamata Banerjee says she will not resign: What will happen next, what does the law say on formation of new government after elections?
Raut stated that the then Chief Justice of India, during hearings on petitions seeking disqualification of rebel MLAs in the undivided Shiv Sena, had observed that Uddhav Thackeray, who was heading the party at that time, could have been reinstated as chief minister had he not resigned.
The MP said Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray called Banerjee after the recently concluded polls and expanded support. Almost all the INDIA bloc leaders called Banerjee and expressed their support to her.
“If we have to unite against the Centre’s dictatorship and the EC’s partisan behavior or the poll panel becoming the slave of the government, we must come together,” Raut said. he said.
He claimed that even many in the government did not agree with the “degradation of democracy”.
NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase alleged that democratic processes were being undermined in West Bengal and central institutions and administrative machinery were being used to influence the poll results.
Speaking to reporters, he stressed the need for a detailed analysis.
A leader from Sharad Pawar’s party alleged that institutions like the Election Commission and institutions like the CBI, Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate and CRPF were used to put pressure on the election process.
Drawing a parallel with Maharashtra, he said similar conditions had happened here before and are now being seen in West Bengal as well.
Tapase claimed that voters were prevented from freely exercising their right to vote due to the presence and actions of centralized powers and institutions, raising concerns about the fairness of the election.
