Elections 2019: LF Blames TMC-BJP ‘Nervousness’ For Recent Attacks

Kolkata/Siliguri: Left Front candidates in West Bengal have accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of unleashing a spate of attacks in the past two-three days on its election campaigns that were getting a ‘huge’ response.

Terming the “growing” attacks as a reflection of the “apparent nervousness” in TMC and BJP, Left Front representatives said in the past few days, several of its candidates faced attacks. These include Fuad Halim, Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate from Diamond, Gouranga Chatterjee, CPI(M) candidate from Asansol and Pallab Sengupta, Communist Party of India candidate from Bashirhat.

Sengupta was not only taken hostage by TMC hooligans, but was also given murder threats by the anti-socials elements, said LF supporter. After this, the All India Peace & Solidarity Forum (AIPSO), condemned the attacsk, as Sengupta is also the organisation’s national general s.

AIPSO West Bengal unit’s general secretary, Anjan Bera, termed the attack as “brazen, unconstitutional” and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits to restore the electorate’s confidence in the Parliamentary process.

According to sources, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has asked state  BJP leaders to ensure that the  LF, the common enemy of TMC and BJP, does not get advantage of the feud between the two parties. As per some media reports, a TMC minister reportedly had met some RSS leaders in Keshab Bhawan, the RSS office in Kolkata, to “chalk out a strategy of commonly opposing Left candidates” in 42 polling stations. 

In Asansol’s Barabani in Madanpur village , about six CPI(M) workers and the CPI(M) candidate were injured  and had to be hospitalised, while in Falta, Diamond Harbour, Halim, along with seven CPI(M) activists were beaten with rods and kicked around, as per sources.

Condemning the attacks, CPI(M) West Bengal secretary Suryakanta Mishra, while blaming the “sinister designs” of both TMC and BJP, also accused the TMC-aided coal mafia of being behind the attack in Asansol.

It may be recalled that in 2012, CITU leader Gouranga Chatterjee  (CPI(M)’s candidate from Asansol ) and  CPI(M)’s Deblina Hembram (candidate from Jhargram) were attacked on the floor of the Assembly when both the MLAs dared to speak up on the TMC’s role in the chit fund racket in which a majority of the ruling party leaders were allegedly involved. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her family members’ names had also cropped up in this regard in various media reports.

Since the LF’s campaign has been focused on the “corruption-laden administration” and TMC politicians  named in the Saradha and Narada scams, poor plight of farmers in West Bengal and in the country,  an on the Left’s demand for Rs 18,000  minimum wages to, there has been  a widespread response, said sources, adding that it could be the reason for growing attacks on the LF.