As the long process of general elections that started on April 11 winds up today, powerplay and political slandering seem far from being over. Even as West Bengal again manages to grab national headlines for political violence, poll malpractice and vandalism, the ruling party TMC is busy finding faults in PM Modi’s spiritual visit to the Kedarnath shrine.
The TMC has written to the Election Commission of India alleging that the PM’s visit to Kedarnath and the media coverage of it is a ‘gross violation of the model code of conduct’.
TMC complains to EC that PM Modi is violating MCC…with Kedarnath visit… pic.twitter.com/uLTVwbkx5s
— Bijendra Singh (@bijendrasingh) May 19, 2019
In the letter, the ruling party of Bengal has alleged that PM Modi’s Kedarnath visit is being widely televised by all channels, national and local, ‘even after the campaigning had ended on 17 May’. It also states that PM Modi addressed the media and declared that the masterplan for the site’s development is ready which is ‘morally incorrect’.
The letter alleges that every minute details of the visit are being televised and even the people are chanting “Modi Modi” in the background. TMC claims that it might influence voters.
The letter urges the ECI to immediately order to stop the telecast of PM’s Kedarnath visit.
TMC, however, seems to forget that Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister and media will definitely follow him wherever he goes. There is no rule that says a Prime Minister cannot visit a temple hundreds of miles away from his constituency to practice his faith. Moreover, PM Modi had not given a single political statement, neither has he discussed elections and sought votes at any time during the visit.
It is also a sad irony that while West Bengal is in turmoils of rampant political violence and chaos, the ruling party deemed it fit to whine over PM Modi’s spiritual visit to a religious place far away from his constituency.
As on today, there are reports of polling malpractice, booth capturing, and even violent attacks on journalists in the state of West Bengal.
Bombs hurled, Journalist assaulted in Islampur, Raiganj.@Tamal0401 with the details | #May23WithTimesNow pic.twitter.com/sUANkMCta4
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) May 19, 2019
In Islampur, Raiganj, there are reports of journalists being attacked, manhandled and even bombs being hurled at them. The cars of some journalists have been smashed too. Locals have stated that the attack was a retaliation to the journalists reporting the incidents of voters being stopped from voting in a booth in Islampur.
other incidents of violence and vandalism have also been reported from Bhatpara, Barasat and other areas as well. Such was the lawlessness in the state that the ECI had to invoke section 324 for the first time in India’s electoral history for West Bengal when they ordered all campaigning to stop a day before the scheduled date.
Rajeev Kumar, the former Kolkata police chief for whom Mamata Banerjee had resorted to a dharna when CBI went to interrogate him, was sacked by the ECI, as well as the principal secretary Atri Bhattacharya. A number of BJP workers have been brutally murdered in the state and Mamata’S government had tried its best not to let BJP leaders campaign in her state, by cancelling permissions for rallies and not letting choppers land.
