Lok Sabha elections 2019: Free up political space in Bengal
All voters must be allowed to exercise free choice. At the same time, the BJP must be careful when it makes accusations, meet the test of accuracy, and not misuse any central institutions.
Soon after a special observer of the Election Commission said that the situation in West Bengal resembled the one in Bihar 10 or 15 years ago, almost on cue, on the day of the third phase of polling, a Congress worker was killed in Murshidabad. Earlier, among other incidents, an election official was injured; a young student suffered an injury in a suspected political clash; the car of a candidate was vandalised; police fired at protestors who, in turn, were agitating because they claimed people had not been allowed to vote.
The opposition, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has claimed that this is all an outcome of the deeply undemocratic and repressive machinery of the Trinamool Congress in the state. The BJP argues that its rise in the state has made Mamata Banerjee’s outfit insecure and it has, therefore, resorted to intimidation and violence on an unprecedented scale. Banerjee, on her part, has rejected the accusations and instead claimed that central forces have been influencing people to vote in favour of the BJP. She has also blamed the Election Commission for favouring the BJP.
Each incident may have its own specific context. But there are clear principles involved here. West Bengal has witnessed electoral violence, intimidation and malpractices for decades now. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) perfected the art, and the Trinamool Congress has replicated a similar political culture. Among all states going for polls, it appears that the political space in West Bengal is the most restrictive. This needs urgent correction. All voters must be allowed to exercise free choice. At the same time, the BJP must be careful when it makes accusations, meet the test of accuracy, and not misuse any central institutions.