Anil Anand
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, the lone warrior pitted against the might of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister, Amit Shah, in the State Assembly elections, seems to have become pick-of-the-day for the Election Commission of India (ECI). The 24-hour ban barring her from “campaigning in any manner” from 8pm of April 12 till 8 pm of April 13, has raised many questions on efficacy of the ECI in ensuring a level playing field.
The ECI order read; “”Commission hereby condemns such statements potent with serious law and order problems across the State (s) and sternly warns Mamata Banerjee and advises her to desist from using such statements while making public utterances during the period when Model Code of Conduct is in force.”
The poll panel was justified in issuing this stern warning but the question arises whether the ECI was too harsh on the incumbent Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo who has embarked on a solo march to ensure a third consecutive term for herself, as compared to action against some of the BJP leaders. Was the issue inviting the ban so serious as to jeopardise the entire election process or cause a law and order situation? Statements with more pronounced communal and religious overtones had been made by leaders of the other political parties having higher stakes in this election but treatment in their case was perceptibly different.
Provoking the ban was Ms Banerjee’s public appeal to a particular community or set of people to stand united and ensure that their votes are not divided. The immediate reaction of her main political rival BJP, its top leaders, was that it is a self-confession of defeat. Since the polling phases before which she was handed the ban involve the Trinamool Congress stronghold, keeping her away from campaign even for an hour could prove costly for Ms Banerjee. That is where the harsh ban order created doubts and unnecessarily dragged the ECI into controversy.
To be fair to the ECI in order to be seen as a fair referee the poll panel followed up the ban on Ms Banerjee with a show cause notice and similar restrictions on the local BJP leaders. One of these leaders had not only justified the killing of six persons in Cooch Behar area of the state during the fourth phase of polling in CRPF firing but went on to say that it was not enough and that 40 to 50 persons should have been killed while squarely blaming Trinamool Congress ” goondas” for creating conditions that led to the firing.
Similarly, BJP’s West Bengal unit chief, Dilip Ghosh was issued a routine notice for his remarks that there would be ” Sitakulchi in several places”, after five people were killed in the police firing at this place during the fourth phase of polling. Whether it was a direct warning to the political rivals or not it needed to be immediately evaluate, and whether it warranted stern action or not?
By blaming Ms Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress, these local leaders were only echoing the views of none other than Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Home Minister, Amit Shah and BJP president, J P Nadda. They heaped entire blame on her party for the killings ostensibly to absolve the CISF personnel without even waiting for the outcome of a preliminary enquiry. The ECI’s stand on this entire episode neither built public confidence nor gave a sense of satisfaction to the contesting parties barring BJP of a level playing field.
The ECI’s ambivalence or ambiguity, as alleged by the Trinamool Congress, on issues ranging from Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) being found in possession of unauthorised persons or places, to dealing equivalently with leaders cutting across party-lines on any violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), and the incidents of violence and police firing such as in Cooch Behar, has created an impression in the public mind that the field is more uneven than being level. This impression might have been created fallaciously but then it is the duty of the ECI to prove its credentials of being overboard. It seems to have tripped on that front.
Coming back to the 24-hour ban on Ms Banerjee, compare it with a similar ban imposed on BJP Minister in Assam Hemanata Biswa Sarma. In the latter’s case the ban was reduced to half within no time after he tendered an apology. In Ms Banerjee’s case she was straightway hauled up.
There is no doubt that the ECI has an uphill task to perform in West Bengal where election atmosphere has been vitiated by unnecessarily aggressive posturing by the political parties with the big-wigs launching scathing and no-holds-bar personal attacks. This is nothing new to the state which has a history of violent elections but 2021 is entirely different from the past.
Campaigning for the fifth phase of the elections held on April 17 had already been curtailed by a day. On April 10, following the violence in Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar where six persons were killed in police firing, the EC had extended the ‘silent period’ from 48 hours to 72 hours for the fifth round.
Naturally, it affected Ms Banerjee and Trinamool Congress more who are fighting the might of BJP in all its forms. She was scheduled to address four rallies on April 13 as part of her hectic campaign schedule to counter the army of BJP campaigners. Ultimately, she sat on a protest dharna in the centre of Kolkata under the statue of Mahatma Gandhi to register her protest.
It is obvious that the tried and trust street-fighter image of Ms Banerjee has made her main rival BJP restive. The latter has been using all tricks in the trade including bucking the COVID-19 danger to organise huge rallies for its top leaders, to corner her and at the same time limit her public reach.
After all it was Mamta Banerjee alone who floated a new party after walking out of Congress to take on the mighty CPM-led Left Front which was saddled in power for nearly three long decades. She carved her path through sheer struggle and in the process repeatedly getting thrashed on the streets of Kolkata to finally dislodge the Left Front which had galaxy of top leaders with local appeal.
That fear still seems to be lurking somewhere in the minds of the BJP’s top brass who have attached greater importance to West Bengal Assembly elections from a political perspective only. With Left in alliance with Congress already fighting for its existence, a defeat for Ms Banerjee will be a double delight for the BJP- capturing a Left bastion and dislodging an indomitable powerhouse Mamta Banerjee.
Everything has been stacked against her so far as the BJP is concerned with a strong section of the media acting as a catalyst. But still it is easier said than done for the saffron party. ‘Hunuz Kolkata doorast’ for the BJP ( Kolkata is still at a distance for BJP).
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