NEW DELHI: Condemning the attack on the party’s top leaders, including former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Gaurav Gogoi and several others, during the election campaign in Nagaon district of Assam on Monday, the Congress urged the Election Commission to order an independent probe into the incident.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Congress general secretary Dr Naseer Hussain termed the incident as a ‘murderous attack’ by masked men on senior Congress leadership, with the intent of scaring and intimidating Opposition leaders and workers during the elections.
This was an old pattern adopted by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, he said, adding that whenever it feels weakened and stares at defeat, it resorts to violence and fear-mongering. “This is a clear attempt to subvert and undermine democracy in the country”, said the Congress leader.
“The politics of intimidation and threats has been carried out in the country for the past 12 years,” he said.
Questioning the Election Commission’s silence over the attack on Opposition leaders, he asked why no action was being taken and whether free and fair elections were being conducted. He urged the EC to stop discriminating against Opposition parties and order an independent probe.
Dr Hussain said that the masked men were carrying black flags and were armed with iron rods and other weapons during the attack on the senior Congress leadership. He said this was not the first time such a thing had happened, pointing out that similar incidents involving masked persons had taken place in the past at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Shaheen Bagh, which were intended to foment riots.
The senior Congress leader said the attack took place despite the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee alerting the administration in advance. He said the administration took no preventive measures to stop the violence.
Hussain said that not only Opposition leaders but two journalists were also manhandled, which led to a protest dharna by members of the journalist fraternity. He said the dharna was called off only after the police apologized to the journalists.
“The intention is obvious to create a sense of fear so that Opposition party workers and voters stay away from the election, resulting in lower polling that would benefit the ruling party.
He remarked that this was another facet of the BJP’s “vote-chori” tactics aimed at intimidating, scaring and discouraging voters from casting their votes. “In the past, the ruling party stole elections, parties, symbols, MPs, MLAs and governments,” he added.
He also referred to the collusion between the BJP and the ECI, through which parties like the Shiv Sena, the NCP and now the Trinamool Congress had been robbed of their election symbols. Besides, he added, the Opposition candidates were being slapped with false cases and arrested, citing the example of a Congress candidate in West Bengal who was arrested in connection with an old case.
The senior Congress leader demanded that the Nagaon attack be independently probed and that officers who failed in their duty be suspended. He also demanded that all those involved in the attack be punished and that the findings of the probe be made public.
The Election Commission must ensure the security of all candidates and voters for smooth, free and fair elections, he said.
