Trinamool Congress shouldn't resort to violence to win West Bengal panchayat polls: Mamata must deploy Central forces

The panchayat election in West Bengal — scheduled for 1, 3 and 5 May – were never expected to be a peaceful affair, and so it has proved, with violent clashes breaking out with about a month to go and the graph rising. It’s not only the violence that is attracting censure, issues like timing and deployment of forces, too, are in the mix. The first fatality was reported earlier this week, a couple of days after the schedule was announced by the State Election Commission (SEC) on Saturday. On Tuesday, a Trinamool Congress supporter was killed in Malda district when he was caught, according to reports, in the crossfire between two factions of the state’s ruling party. The next day, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate was chased and killed, allegedly in a bomb attack carried out by Trinamool workers in Uttar Dinajpur district. [caption id=“attachment_4406609” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. PTI[/caption] There were a rash of clashes in Murshidabad district, where the Congress alleged their nominees were not allowed to file their papers; in West Burdwan, the BJP was accused of mounting attacks on Trinamool candidates; and in North 24 Parganas district BJP workers were said to have been attacked by ruling party cadres. And on Thursday, incidents of violence were reported from Birbhum district, where former CPI-M MP Ramachandra Dom was struck on the head by a missile; and Uttar Dinajpur, where BJP workers allegedly ransacked a block office. We have, at present, no reason to believe that things will quieten down, especially given the fact that though the Trinamool Congress appears to be flexing its muscles the most, BJP workers have also been guilty of orchestrating acts of violence. It has been reported that the leadership of the ruling party does not want to countenance intimidation and violence and that orders to exercise restraint are being issued. It believes the Trinamool Congress will win anyway, without recourse to such tactics. The problem is that some local units, which feel they are under pressure, are autonomously resorting to intimidation to secure their victories. It is against this backdrop that the Congress has filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court for the deployment of central forces, with the possibility that the BJP could follow suit not ruled out. The SEC has also written to the government to the government desiring the deployment of central forces, after a meeting between the state election commissioner and the governor, who has independently recorded a similar plea. The BJP has also moved the Supreme Court seeking a postponement of the deadline for filing nominations and perhaps will bring into the ambit of the plea the question of force deployment. But given that the deadline is Monday, 9 April, and that the Supreme Court has not scheduled a hearing yet, the deadline seems to be a fait accompli. The high court will hear the Congress’s petition on Friday. Despite its protestations, the state government may have to accede to the demand for the deployment of central forces given the SEC’s position that the state forces designated for the elections are inadequate, but it is equally possible that by the time that happens, their intervention may prove irrelevant. Politically, however, it must be said that the decision to hold the elections in May rather than in, say, July has caught the opposition off guard. It is a legitimate ploy. If anything, opposition parties should have begun preparations anticipating such a move. If the union government decides to hold the Lok Sabha elections earlier than now anticipated, the same argument would apply. As for the violence and intimidation, there are several points that need to be made: one, it is inexcusable; two, it was foreseen and that is how panchayat elections have been held ever since their inception after the passage of the 73rd constitutional amendment in 1992; and, three, both the ruling party and the BJP are responsible for instigating and carrying out attacks of various kinds. Though the incidence of violence is neither surprising nor wholly unilateral, it is a potent argument for the deployment of central forces, which would not infringe any federal principle. The Trinamool leadership should, thus, set the process in motion, especially if it feels that the ruling party will win more than comfortably in any case. The question arising from this is: Does the Trinamool Congress have doubts about its popularity and strength? Or is it just stalling, perversely, to make the point that it will not be dictated to. Neither makes sense, given that the ruling party should actually win handsomely. The opposition is in disarray: the Congress exists in only two districts; the CPI-M’s organizational machine is in tatters and the popular support it can expect doesn’t amount to much; and, the BJP, despite making some gains, is still far behind the ruling party, especially in the rural hinterlands.