PTI
Mumbai
The Opposition on Wednesday supported West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s refusal to quit, with Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut calling it a part of her protest against the Centre and the Election Commission of India.
Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Mangal Prabhat Lodha said her decision not to resign even after defeat in the assembly polls would amount to disregarding constitutional norms. The “nationalist” people of Bengal have taught her a strong lesson, he said.
Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Raut asserted that it was necessary to unite against the “dictatorship of the Centre and partisan behaviour of the Election Commission”. The poll body has become a “slave” of the Centre, the Rajya Sabha member charged.
The Opposition has to decide whether it has to contest the polls or not, he said.
“Mamata Banerjee not resigning is part of her agitation against the government (Centre), the Election Commission (EC) and a series of acts against democracy,” Raut said.
It has to be seen what direction the agitation takes, he added.
Alleging that the West Bengal assembly poll verdict was “not a people’s mandate but a conspiracy”, Banerjee on Tuesday refused to resign as chief minister.
The BJP on Monday sealed a landslide victory with 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, ending the TMC’s uninterrupted 15-year rule. Banerjee dismissed the outcome as “engineered” and asserted that her party was fighting the Election Commission, not the BJP. The TMC could only manage 80 seats.
In a post on Facebook, Raut said Banerjee’s decision not to quit is fully justified. He also sought to draw a parallel with the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis.
The then Chief Justice of India had observed during hearings on petitions seeking the disqualification of rebel MLAs of the undivided Shiv Sena that Uddhav Thackeray, who headed the party at the time, could have been reinstated as chief minister had he not resigned, Raut said.
The parliamentarian said Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray called up Banerjee after the recently concluded polls and extended support. Almost all the INDIA bloc leaders have called Banerjee and extended their support to her.
“We have to come together if we have to unite against the dictatorship of the Centre and the partisan behaviour of the EC or the way the poll body has become slaves of the government,” Raut said.
He claimed that even many in the government do not agree with the “degradation of democracy”.
NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase claimed that democratic processes were undermined in Bengal, and central agencies and administrative machinery were used to influence the poll outcome.
Speaking to the media, he stressed the need for a detailed analysis.
Institutions such as the EC and agencies like the CBI, Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate and CRPF (Central Reserve Protection Force) were used in a manner that put pressure on the electoral process, the leader from Sharad Pawar’s party alleged.
Similar circumstances had prevailed in Maharashtra earlier and were now being witnessed in Bengal, he said.
Tapase claimed voters were prevented from exercising their franchise freely due to the presence and actions of central forces and agencies, raising concerns over the fairness of the election.
Maharashtra minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha hit back at the Opposition for questioning the electoral process.
The West Bengal poll results showed that “those who speak for Hindu interests will rule the nation”, he said.
Lodha said the “nationalist people of Bengal have taught Mamata Didi a strong lesson” and alleged that her refusal to resign after defeat would amount to disregarding constitutional norms.
He said Bengal had endured “immense suffering” during the tenure of Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of remaining silent on alleged atrocities against Hindus and treating infiltration as a “vote bank issue”.
“Despite holding a constitutional position, she witnessed these incidents without action,” he said, claiming that anger among voters led to the regime being “overthrown through the ballot”.
He said the elections were fought under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on issues of development and nationalism, and that the mandate reflected strong faith in the BJP.
Lodha also said that “atrocities against Hindus will not be tolerated in the country” and asserted that nationalism and the protection of Hindu interests must be upheld. “Through these results, the nationalist citizens of West Bengal have conveyed this message across the nation,” he said.
