Kolkata: After the Election Commission yesterday slapped a 24-hour ban on her campaign for a day over her alleged communal remark, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee began her dharna near Gandhi statue here today. The EC had barred Mamata from canvassing for 24 hours from 8 pm on April 12 to 8 pm on April 13.
The EC has in the meantime, has also banned Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rahul Sinha from campaigning in the state for 48 hours over his alleged remarks that the central forces should have shot to death eight people in Cooch Behar.
Mamata today sat alone on her wheel chair while her party, the Trinamool Congress, decried the EC order, terming it a black day for democracy. The ban was imposed after Mamata allegedly urged Muslim voters to unitedly vote for the TMC, and directed women to ‘gherao’ the central armed paramilitary forces (CAPF) during the elections.
Once her ban gets over at 8 pm today, Mamata is also scheduled to address public meetings in Barasat and Bidhannangar constituencies before the the campaigning for all political parties for the fifth phase of elections comes to an end at 10 pm today.
It may be pointed out that during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as well as Bahujan Samaj Party supremo and former UP CM Mayawati too were banned from campaigning respectively for three days and two days, by the EC on the communal grounds.
– global bihari bureau
