Ahead of the by-polls for the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Narendranath Chakraborty was seen intimidating BJP supporters in the State. Chakraborty had won the 2021 Vidhan Sabha election from the Pandabeswar (Paschim Bardhaman) constituency of West Bengal.
A video of his speech, threatening BJP supporters, was shared on social media by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. “Hardcore BJP supporters, who cannot be influenced, need to be threatened. Tell them that if they cast their vote, we will assume that they voted for BJP,” Narendranaath Chakraborty was heard as saying.
He further warned, “After the election is over, they will be living at their own risk in the State. However, if they don’t cast their vote at all, we will assume that they are supporting us.”
“It is only then that they can live peacefully in the State. They can do business or jobs and we will stand by their side. Clear?” the TMC lawmaker unveiled his nefarious plans.
Suvendu Adhikari pointed out, “Pandabeswar Assembly Segment falls under Asansol Lok Sabha Constituency where bypoll is going to be held in about two weeks’ time.” He informed that the TMC MLA was earlier the block President of Pandabeswar (similar to Anaurul Hossain arrested for Birbhum violence) and also served as a member of Burdwan Zila Parishad.
In 2016, Narendranath Chakraborty was arrested by Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) for carrying a pistol, cartridges in his check-in luggage bag at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.
‘Later on he was arrested by the Police under the Arms Act; for trying to board a Chennai-bound flight with an unlicensed gun and rounds of cartridges. He could not show any valid licence,” Suvendu Adikari further emphasised.
BJP IT Cell Head, Amit Malviya, has called upon the Election Commission (EC) to take cognisance of the matter and take action. “Such criminals should be behind bars but in Bengal Mamata Banerjee patronises them,” he tweeted.
TMC unleashes the ‘Khela’ of violence during Municipal elections
During the recent civic body elections in West Bengal, hooligans associated with the ruling Trinamool Congress resorted to violence, vandalism, assault, and election malpractices. A total of 8,160 candidates contested the polls and about 76.51% of eligible 95 lakh voters cast their votes.
On February 27, TMC goons hurled crude bombs, tampered with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and attacked the candidates and agents belonging to the Opposition parties including BJP, Congress and CPI (M).
They also attacked independent candidates in Dhulian (Murshidabad district) and Dalkhoola (Uttar Dinajpur district). The police had to resort to firing tear gas shells to pacify the situation. Crude bomb attacks also took place in polling booths in Garulia and Halisahar municipalities.
Journalist Soumyajit Majumder took to Twitter to inform how members of the press were targeted for their objective reporting during the civic body polls. He said, “At least nine journalists of different media houses were beaten up, thrashed and admitted to hospitals while covering irregularities in the civic polls in West Bengal, cameras were broken, mics were snatched and thrown into the drain.”
A CPI(M) worker was assaulted in Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas. Left candidates in Barasat and a Congress candidate in Behrampore were also beaten up. This was despite the deployment of 44000 police personnel and 135 election observers, including 108 general observers and 10 special observers.
It must be mentioned that the Supreme Court had earlier dismissed a petition filed by Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) party leaders Mousumi Roy and Pratap Banerjee, seeking deployment of central forces in the West Bengal local polls.