 "EC curtails campaigning in Bengal: Mamata slams 'unethical, unfair' decision; Jaitley says 'breakdown of constitutional machinery' behind move")
In an unprecedented first, the Election Commission (EC) invoked Article 324 of the Constitution and announced that campaigning will end at 10 pm on Thursday in West Bengal, a day before its scheduled deadline ahead of the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha polls on 19 May. The EC ’s decision came a day after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) clashed during BJP chief Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata, during which the city witnessed wide-spread violence. A bust of 19th century Bengali icon Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was also vandalised during the incident. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee held a press conference after the EC’s announcement, calling the clamping of Article 324 a gift by the poll panel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “There is no such law and order problem in West Bengal that Article 324 can be clamped… This is not EC’s direction; it is the BJP’s direction. This is the direction of Narendra Modi and (BJP chief) Amit Shah. The EC’s decision is unfair, unethical and politically biased,” she told reporters in Kolkata. Meanwhile, Congress leader Ahmed Patel and CPM leader Sitaram Yechury asked why the poll panel chose to let campaigning continue till 10 pm on Thursday despite having taken note of the violence. Yechury also said that the poll panel should’ve first acted against the perpetrators of violence before deciding to bar campaigning.
If situation in Bengal is so severe that campaigning must be stopped, why is EC waiting until tomorrow? Is it because PM has scheduled rallies tomorrow?
— Ahmed Patel Memorial (@ahmedpatel) May 15, 2019
Isnt it unprecedented that EC claims it’s an unprecedented situation in West Bengal but yet is waiting for PM to complete his public meetings ?
— Ahmed Patel Memorial (@ahmedpatel) May 15, 2019
If a ban is intended for 72 hours, why is it starting at 10pm tomorrow? Is it to allow the two rallies of the PM before that? https://t.co/wn6MqmmrhD
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 15, 2019
The decision by EC to stop campaigning a day in advance is not understood. The first thing being expected by EC was action against the lumpen elements of BJP and TMC for violence yesterday. Why has no action been initiated? #Bengal
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 15, 2019
We have made several complaints and written so many letters about violations and breakdown of law and order with impunity in Bengal, on which there has been no response. https://t.co/e6IrfQxpBL
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 15, 2019
Delhi chief minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal wrote on Twitter that the people of Bengal will give a “befitting reply to Modi-Shah-led perpetrators of violence and hooliganism”.
Time to wake up, India. This very cult n ideology killed Mahatma and is now behind desecration of the bust of one of the greatest reformers Shri Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar ji. People of Bengal will give befitting reply to Modi-Shah led perpetrators of violence and hooliganism
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 15, 2019
Meanwhile, Union Minister Arun Jaitley tweeted that the EC’s direction points at the breakdown of constitutional machinery in West Bengal.
A free campaign is not possible and therefore the campaign has to be cut short. This is a classical case of breakdown of the Constitutional Machinery.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) May 15, 2019
The EC has barred election campaigning in Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata Uttar. It also ordered the removal of Principal Secretary (Home) Atri Bhattacharya and Additional Director General, CID, Rajiv Kumar from their postings in West Bengal. “This is for the first time such a measure has been taken using the EC’s constitutional powers. But this is not going to be the last,” Kumar said. With inputs from agencies
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