KOLKATA: West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that his party's candidates, who won in the recently concluded panchayat elections are being threatened to join the ruling TMC.
Seeking Mamata’s intervention, Chowdhury, who is also one of the 26 partners of the opposition bloc INDIA, requested the Bengal CM to desist from using police and goons to “monopolise TMC’s dominance” and look into the issue before the formation of the panchayat boards.
“Despite the violence, wherever Congress candidates have won, police/political leaders/goons are threatening them with murder and other charges, thus compelling them to save their lives by accepting TMC membership,” Chowdhury wrote in the letter.
He also alleged that the 'insatiable' thirst of TMC activists for more power and lucre is instrumental in shaping the concept of the “monocratic rule” in the state.
“If this goes on unchecked, it is bound to assume in the days to come a monstrous dimension, which will tell upon the democratic health of the nation as well as that of West Bengal," the two-page letter reads.
“Is this a civilised way of winning elections in the state of West Bengal, where you are the honourable chief minister for more than a decade? I would sincerely request you to desist from using police and goons by torturing, terrorising and forcing other parties’ candidates and supporters to monopolise TMC’s dominance.” Chowdhury said in the letter.