Amid Didi's dharna,EC heat on BJP leaders

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, April 13

On a day when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was protesting the Election Commission’s decision barring her from campaigning for 24 hours, a ban was imposed on BJP leader Rahul Sinha and a notice slapped on West Bengal chief Dilip Ghosh over their “provocative” remarks on the killing of four persons in firing by CISF during poll violence in Sitalkuchi, saying such statements could have a serious impact on law and order.

• Also read: Mamata to meet poll violence victims today

The poll panel, however, let off BJP candidate from Nandigram Suvendu Adhikari with a light rap for his remarks that “if people vote for Begum there will be mini Pakistan”.

Sinha has been banned from campaigning the the next 48 hours commencing from 12 pm today till 12 pm on April 15.

The site the TMC supremo chose for her sit-in was next to the Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at the Maidan in Kolkata.

Confined to a wheelchair, Banerjee arrived at the venue at around 12 noon. She was seen painting and showing her works to those gathered at the venue. She left the site past 3 pm.

Hundreds of TMC supporters and artists arrived at the venue but were prevented from joining the Chief Minister by the police.

The area, where the TMC supremo was protesting, belongs to the Army’s Eastern Command.

Whether she had got the permission for the sit-in is uncertain as Army officers stated that they received the request at 9.40 am and were in the process of examining it.

Soon after the EC ordered the ban, Banerjee had announced her decision to protest.

“To protest against the undemocratic and unconstitutional decision of the Election Commission, I will stage a dharna at Gandhi Murti, Kolkata, from 12 noon,” she had tweeted.

The EC order forced the TMC supremo to cancel two of her election rallies slated to take place on Tuesday. Two other rallies – one at Barasat and the other at Bidhannagar – were rescheduled and held at 8.15 pm and 9 pm on Tuesday. The ban imposed by the EC is in force till 8pm on Tuesday.

Read also:

• Mamata to meet poll violence victims today