WB: Left Holds Huge Rally in Barasat, Demands Early Dates for Panchayat Elections
A sea of red flags could be seen as rally participants occupied the lawns of nearby administrative buildings, Kachari, referred to as the "Brigade Parade” ground of North 24 Parganas. | Image courtesy: CPIM Facebook page
Kolkata: Barasat in North 24 Parganas witnessed a massive rally by the Left on Wednesday, demanding that the state government announce the schedule and dates for panchayat elections in West Bengal. The rural elections were last held in May 2018.
Rallyists started pouring in since the morning in local suburban train services. Countless train compartments were seen packed with people heading for the rally, called the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Barasat. Busloads of rally-goers also defied the state government’s attempt to prohibit holding the event at Kachari Maidan, which had been granted permission by the Kolkata High Court.
A sea of red flags could be seen as rally participants occupied the lawns of nearby administrative buildings, Kachari, referred to as the "Brigade Parade” ground of North 24 Parganas due to its immense size, was packed to capacity.
Speaking with NewsClick, Debojyoti Das, a youth leader and CPI(M) district committee member, said the massive gathering was made possible through extensive campaigns, including over 600 street corner meetings. “Youth and student activists distributed leaflets on buses and trains, contributing to the mobilisation, Das said, adding the “determination of party activists who faced false cases and imprisonment by the administration had further strengthened their resolve to attend the rally.”
Addressing the public rally, CPI(M) state secretary Mohd Salim highlighted that the large turnout indicated a “resurgence of support for the Left, as the people were disillusioned by corruption under the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government and the anti-people policies pursued by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre.”
Salim also raised the issue of justice for protesting wrestlers and demanded the immediate arrest of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual misconduct as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India. He criticised the Central government and Delhi Police for mistreating and harassing the wrestlers who had brought honour to the country in the sports arena.
Criticising the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his close circle of BJP leaders for ignoring the wrestlers' plight, the CPI(M) leader said: “Why are they being mistreated by the Central government and harassed by the Delhi police after bringing many laurels to the country in the sports arena? It is a shame on PM Narendra Modi and his crony inner circle of BJP leaders who are not listening to the plight of the wrestlers.”
Salim also attacked West Bengal’s administration for delaying the announcement of dates for the long-awaited panchayat polls. He said there was a need to eradicate corruption from the panchayat offices and empower the masses through a united fight against BJP and TMC.
Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
