Opinion | Nandigram: Who threatened villagers on voting day?
On polling day in Nandigram, we confirmed on India TV, how villagers, each women and men, fearing for his or her lives, had been strolling in direction of the polling sales space close to their village, with central safety forces accompanying them. These women and men named some native Trinamool leaders, who had threatened them to not come out of their properties and vote. This was how a reign of terror had been created in Nandigram, the place the Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee is combating a raging battle to save lots of her political existence.
Till now, we had been solely listening to information of Trinamool leaders threatening folks to not attend BJP rallies in Bengal, we used to listen to how villagers by no means trusted the native police, however after a very long time, folks have mustered braveness to come back out and vote, with central safety forces defending them. Till now, we used to take all accusations made by BJP leaders in opposition to TMC about beatings and killings, with a pinch of salt, however after watching the video of poor, harmless villagers narrating how hooligans got here to their properties and threatened them to not vote, one has to consider that there certainly is a reign of terror in TMC strongholds.
These villagers advised India TV reporter Amit Palit, how TMC leaders got here to their properties and threatened them for attending Mithun Chakraborty’s highway present. A central safety drive crew went to their village, and introduced the villagers to the polling cubicles in order that they might freely forged their votes.
In one other visible on Thursday, we confirmed how a convoy of automobiles led by BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari was stoned in a Muslim-dominated locality. India TV crew automobile was within the convoy, and it bore the brunt of stoning. The automotive windshield was smashed, and India TV reporter Pawan Nara was injured. When Suvendu Adhikari got here to learn about this, he stopped his convoy, got here to India TV crew automobile, and stated, “the world must see the jungle raj created by the Begum. There is already a non-bailable warrant pending against local Muslim TMC strongman Sheikh Sufian, they brought outsiders to rig voting at Madrasa booth, there are six phases of poll remaining, and the world should see what is happening here.”
Why was Suvendu Adhikari making allegations in opposition to Muslim supporters of TMC in Block-1 of Nandigram? India TV reporter Manish Bhattacharya was current within the space the place the stoning happened. Local Muslim TMC supporters advised him, on digicam,”Suvendu Dada will lose this time, neither Owaisi nor Pirzada will work right here, One hundred per cent Muslim votes will go to Didi”.
Mamata Banerjee is aware of this fairly properly that Muslim voters in Bengal will assist her this time en bloc, as a result of they worry BJP might come to energy. She due to this fact visited Hindu dominated areas of Nandigram, and staged a drama exterior a sales space, the place she sat for greater than two hours, rang up the state governor Jagdeep Dhankad, wrote a two-page letter to the EC in her personal handwriting, alleging that central safety forces had been permitting rigging to happen. This was performed in full view of nationwide and worldwide media, to garner consideration.
Mamata Banerjee says that she had bought complaints about Muslim voters not being allowed to vote in Boyal, a Hindu dominated space. India TV reporter Manish Bhattacharya was current, when Mamata reached the sales space. Suddenly, a lot of TMC supporters got here shouting slogans and began a fracas with BJP employees. There had been clashes and fisticuffs, within the presence of Trinamool supremo. Fortunately, a big contingent of central safety forces got here to the spot and prevented the scenario from deteriorating.
It was certainly a dramatic scene when Mamata Banerjee rang up the state governor from a polling sales space, complaining in opposition to the Election Commission. This was the identical governor, whom she had been labelling as ‘BJP agent’ for the final a number of years.
As information of Mamata ready exterior a sales space travelled quick, Election Commission observers reached the scene, and despatched this report back to the EC management room in Delhi.
This is what the EC reported to the media: “Many sections of media have been protecting the incident of alleged gherao of Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal and crowding at Polling Station No. 7 at 210 Nandigram AC right now that inter alia resulted in disruption of ballot course of. General Observer Shri Hemen Das (IAS 2009 batch) and Police Observer Shri Ashutosh Roy (IPS 1994 batch) had been requested to go to the spot instantly. The report acquired from the General Observer at 4.06 pm is as follows: “Good afternoon sir, Polling at PS no 7 ( Boyal Moktab Primary School) goes on easily.
Hon’ble CM, who can be a contesting candidate, has left the place at about 3.35 pm after staying right here for practically one and half hour.
“It might kindly be famous that polling was not disrupted at any second. Till now, 702 votes, out of 943, have been polled. It’s 74%. Nearly 3000 folks had been there once we reached the station. All have left now. Now, me and Police Observer are right here moreover the authorised police personnel together with CAPF. Regards”
“A separate hand written complaint was received from Hon’ble Chief Minister via CEO West Bengal today in the late afternoon. The same has been forwarded to Special General Observer Shri Ajay Nayak and Special Police Observer Shri Vivek Dube under intimation to CEO. They have been asked to send a report by tomorrow 6pm.”
So, a lot ado about nothing by Mamata. She was making a drama, at the same time as her occasion goons had been threatening folks in villages to not come out and vote.
Mamata’s rival Suvendu Adhikari stated, this was clear indication of Mamata dropping in Nandigram. He claimed that almost all of voters in Nandigram have voted in his favour. Adhikari questioned how Mamata violated Code of Conduct however sitting exterior a polling sales space for 2 hours.
At the identical time, in Uluberia and Joynagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing election rallies, stated, “the people of Bengal have decided to teach Mamata a lesson this time. He said, nobody can now save Didi from people’s anger. She should read the writing on the wall. Already the indications were there after the first phase of polling. And now, whatever has happened in Nandigram, are indicative that Mamata is losing.”
Modi posed a direct query to Mamata: “Didi, the last phase of nominations still remains. Tell me, are the rumours true that you may file another nomination from a different constituency? You went to Nandigram, the people showed you what they wanted. If you go anywhere else, people are ready (to teach you a lesson).”
Late within the night, Trinamool Congress spokesman formally denied that the occasion chief was going to file nomination from one other constituency. The spokesman stated, “if BJP leaders are so much in love with Bengal, why doesn’t the PM or the Home Minister file a nomination here?” Another Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra tweeted: “Contesting from second seat? Yes, Mr PM. She will, and it will be Varanasi. So go, get your armour on.”
It goes to the credit score of India TV reporters, who, on Thursday, confirmed braveness and spoke to villagers who went to cubicles beneath central forces’ safety to forged their votes. Our reporters confronted stoning from TMC supporters, and one in all them was injured. Our third reporter confirmed how TMC and BJP supporters clashed within the presence of the chief minister.
The Election Commission knew that there can be makes an attempt to seize polling cubicles, and it, due to this fact, opted for an eight-phase polling and heavy deployment of Central forces. At that point, the primary to object to the eight-phase polling was Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Voters talking on digicam clearly described the reign of terror that had been unleashed.
Secondly, all these threats by goons didn’t work, and the frequent voters confirmed braveness on the day of polling. This was evident from the glum visage of Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, sitting on her wheel chair exterior a polling sales space. Never had Mamata appeared so glum. This was not her standard type.
She blamed Home Minister Amit Shah and stated the central forces acted in a biased method. She raised doubts in regards to the neutrality of the Election Commission.
The query continues to be open: Will Mamata win or lose in Nandigram?
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