West Bengal witnessing ‘death of democracy’ under Mamata Banerjee: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

PTI, Jun 27, 2023, 7:34 PM IST

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of organising street violence to secure electoral victories, saying the eastern state is witnessing the ”death of democracy” under her leadership.

Surya, who is also the chief of BJP Yuva Morcha, alleged that right after the conclusion of Assembly polls in West Bengal, Banerjee went on a spree of targeted violence against the BJP workers. ”The high court took cognizance of this unprecedented violence. Even now, we are seeing in panchayat elections…how the West Bengal government is resisting the deployment of central forces,” he told reporters here after the conclusion of a public meeting organised by the youth wing of Jammu and Kashmir BJP. ”What is happening in West Bengal is the death of democracy under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Even the Supreme Court and the high court have taken cognizance of it,” Surya said.

The BJP leader said that she (Banerjee) only knows how to win elections through booth capturing, organising street violence and sheer abuse of state institutions including police.

Taking a dig at the opposition parties over their recent meeting in Patna, Surya said the event seemed to be more of a conclave for ”unemployed” political families rather than a conference of the Opposition.

”In a way, it was a conclave of unemployed political families. The son of Dr Farooq Abdullah, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav, and families of Sharad Pawar, Karuna Nidhi…the meeting in Patna was a conclave of unemployed political families rather than a conference of opposition parties,” the Bengaluru South MP said.

At the Patna meeting, 17 opposition parties, including the Congress, resolved to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in a united manner to defeat the BJP at the Centre. They will meet in Shimla next month to chalk out a joint strategy.

”I want to ask you a question… What political impact would chief minister of Tamil Nadu have in Jammu and Kashmir. What impact will Omar Abdullah have in Karnataka. Will Akhilesh Yadav, who has been rejected by people of Uttar Pradesh, be accepted in West Bengal or Chhattisgarh. This Patna circus was merely a dynastic political conclave,” he told the reporters.

When asked about Pakistan and cross-border terrorism, Surya said, ”Pakistan is a failed state. The world recognises it as a terror state.” He welcomed the fact that the US has unequivocally condemned Pakistan’s support for terrorism and called for the dismantling of all terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.

Surya emphasized that the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code is a constitutional requirement. Considering India’s diversity, it is crucial to have a uniform civil law that safeguards the rights of all citizens, he said.

He also criticised the Congress and other parties for opposing the UCC, which is a ”constitutional obligation”.

”This opposition reflects an anti-constitutional stance, with these parties consistently disrespecting the Constitution,” he added.

When asked whether the BJP would implement the UCC before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Surya said the BJP has always maintained the stance that the UCC is a constitutional directive.

”The party is committed to working towards its implementation, just as it has fulfilled its manifesto promises in the past, including the abrogation of Article 370,” he said.

On the issue of reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Surya highlighted that the Parliament has passed resolutions on PoK three times. He firmly asserted that PoK has always been and will continue to be an integral part of India. He expressed the readiness of the BJP to support efforts aimed at reclaiming PoK.

Regarding the Karnataka government’s decision to withdraw the anti-cow slaughter law, Surya stated that similar to the UCC, the prohibition of cow slaughter is a constitutional mandate.

He criticized the Congress for declaring their objective to repeal the anti-cow slaughter law, and demanded that the grand old party begin respecting the directives of the Constitution.