Democracy is all about discussions, debates, talks and sorting out areas of disagreement in an environment of accommodating and respecting one another’s opinion. If West Bengal claims to run a democratic Government, which it is supposed to, in that case, spate of violence, almost pre-planned and politically sponsored, was going to harm democracy and make an ordinary citizen, otherwise a valuable voter, disconsolate towards even exercising his or her right to franchise . The President of any political Party in free India can travel anywhere and hold public meetings which the Government of the respective State should not only ensure to be held peacefully too without any hindrance, disruptions and least of all, any organised attack on the cavalcade as well as on the people going to attend the concerned public meeting.
Why should not the ruling BJP feel that the attack on the car which its Party President was travelling in and heading towards a venue of the meeting, was state sponsored as the clips shown on most of the TV Channels clearly revealed the car of JP Nadda being rained with stones and state police doing nothing ? In fact, no car forming the cavalcade was spared resulting in injuries and breaking of bones and limbs of many party activists. Nadda escaped unhurt because his car was bullet proof hence wind shield and window panes could not be broken by the unruly attackers believed to have been TMC workers and activists. The incident deserves severe condemnation.
Agreed, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP jumped to 14 seats from 3 in 1989 which has upset the ruling Trinamool Congress leadership who are now feeling jittery and fully challenged in the electoral battle for Assembly elections due shortly next year. However, since it is all a question of whom people like and vote for, hence the well accepted democratic and constitutional process for bringing in change should not be throttled and muzzled with street violence. If there was adequate information to the administration about the meeting addressed by the BJP President, why was there so much of breach in the security apparatus has got to be answered by the State Government which it cannot deny having abdicated probably to serve its political gains.
Why should it be no cause of concern that just like during the rule of the Left Front for over three decades, violence and promoting only the leftist ideology and seeing it percolated deep into the grass root levels, very often due to coercive measures coupled with aggressive trade unionism to the extent of recovering monthly ”funds ” for ”party activities” from factory owners, was all sought to put a stop to by Mamta Banerjee for which definitely she worked hard almost singularly , should now be seen not only in the same way but with increased tenor and tone. The widespread violent scenes which claimed 13 lives and grievous injuries to over 100 during the Panchayat polls in 2018 deflated claims of the TMC Government in reversing what the people saw during the Left Front Government.
While Bihar and the UT of Jammu and Kashmir have recently witnessed violence free elections to the State Assembly and the DDCs respectively, it should be really alarming to see the same still in full fury in West Bengal towards which even the State Governor has many a time openly lament-fully pointed. Violence and political intolerance should be stopped forthwith in that state and such a mechanism put in place which promises free, fair and peaceful elections approaching shortly to elect new State Government.
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