Bar tainted Trinamool workers from campaigning, demands BJP

New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) Alleging that some Trinamool Congress workers are creating an atmosphere of fear and terror by killing its workers, the BJP on Wednesday approached the poll panel in Kolkata, demanding a ban on such workers from campaigning in the run-up to the Assembly elections in West Bengal.

In a complaint lodged with the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, state BJP Vice President Pratap Banerjee said, "Bapi Ankure, an active worker of the BJP, was ruthlessly murdered by the goons of Trinamool Congress because of his political affiliation, which is akin to murdering democracy ahead of the Assembly elections."

The BJP further alleged that the killing of Ankure by Trinamool workers was not just an act of terror, but it was the coldblooded murder of democracy, where a person opposing the Trinamool is not allowed to profess his political affiliation, nor is he permitted to express dissent.

"It is apparent that the Trinamool is planning to manipulate the upcoming elections by brazenly indulging in booth capturing, rigging, intimidating the voters and through other illegal and criminal acts," the BJP said.

The saffron party further said that the aforesaid incident is a clear indication that the Trinamool is brazenly planning to make a mockery of the upcoming elections.

"The conduct of free and fair elections is at the heart of a functioning democracy which is at peril in the state of West Bengal as the ruling party is brazenly planning to terrorise the voters so that they don't turn up to vote," the BJP alleged.

The BJP also demanded that the poll panel should debar Trinamool leader Anubrata Mondal and other party workers from campaigning any further or appoint special observers to monitor the daily activities of these leaders till the date of declaration of results to ensure that free and fair elections are held in every polling booth in West Bengal.