'Our Candidate Fled Fearing For Her Life': BJP's Fact-Finding Team On Bengal Panchayat Poll Violence

BJP on Monday appointed the four-member fact-finding committee to visit the violence-hit areas in West Bengal on Wednesday.

The four-member team is being led by former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, who led the party's fact-finding team in West Bengal, on Wednesday questioned Rahul Gandhi and other leaders' silence regarding the ongoing violence in the state. Slamming the ruling party, Prasad said that the BJP's candidate fled from the village fearing for her life. 

BJP on Monday appointed the four-member fact-finding committee to visit the violence-hit areas in West Bengal on Wednesday. The committee included Satyapal Singh, Rajdeep Roy, and Rekha Verma. 

Speaking to ANI, Prasad said, "Our candidate has run away from the village. Her house has been demolished and Mamata ji says she was born in poverty. I ask why Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury, Nitish Kumar and other opposition parties are silent? These are opportunistic people."

#WATCH | BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad leads the party's fact-finding committee's visit to violence-affected areas in Hingalganj, North 24 Parganas of West Bengal

He says "Our candidate has run away from the village. Her house has been demolished and Mamata ji says she was born in… pic.twitter.com/KnCXX6q9h9

— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2023

CM Mamata Banerjee had earlier questioned the BJP's fact-finding. "Why has the farcical fact-finding committee been sent here," she asked.

Speaking on the visit of the fact-finding team, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said, "They (the West Bengal government) 'misbehaved' with the central forces and there was no cooperation."

Earlier in the day, Prasad told reporters, “We had immense respect for Mamataji when she defeated the 34-year-old Left regime in the state. Today, I want to gently remind Mamataji about her evolution in Bengal and national politics. She was a fighter. But unfortunately, her government has crossed even the records of the Left regarding misrule, anarchy and lawlessness in the state."

The BJP leader added, “Her (Mamata Banerjee) politics is now full of atrocities, which was not evident even during the Left rule.” “Why are so many people being killed? Why so much violence across the state? Is this not the responsibility of the state administration to ensure free and fair polls? This was once the scenario of Bihar, but the state, too, has moved ahead. Mamata Banerjee has shamed democracy in Bengal.”

The Bengal panchayat elections held on July 8 and 10 (repolling) were marked by massive violence that included bombing, shooting, and murders. As many as 33 people were killed between June 8, when the panchayat elections were announced, and July 8 (polling day), with more than 60% of the overall fatalities belonging to the TMC. As many as 18 murders were recorded on July 8.

Polling was held for 73,887 seats in zilla parishads, panchayat samitis, and gram panchayats at 339 venues across 22 districts of the state. Altogether 2.06 lakh candidates were in the fray. According to experts, the 2023 panchayat elections reflected the image of 2018 when there was widespread violence and booth capturing.