EC Turned A Blind Eye To CBI Raids In Bengal's Sandeshkhali During Voting, TMC Writes To Poll Body

The TMC accused the poll body of turning a “blind eye” to the actions of Central probe agencies, particularly during election periods. 

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday wrote to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer denouncing the raids conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Sandeshkhali on the day when the second phase of Lok Sabha elections was underway on 88 seats across 13 states, including Bengal itself. The Bengal ruling party also accused the poll body of turning a “blind eye” to the actions of Central probe agencies, particularly during election periods. 

In a letter addressed to the Election Commission (ED), TMC reiterated its concerns regarding the need for “strict guidelines” to Central investigating agencies from disrupting the campaign efforts of opposition parties. 

“Previously, we have brought to your attention the need for urgent guidelines/framework so that Central investigating agencies cannot throttle the campaign efforts of various political parties, including AITC, who are opposed to the ruling dispensation at the Centre,” TMC said in its letter to the EC.

“However, despite repeated representations, your office has turned a blind eye while Central probe agencies continue to wreak havoc across the nation, especially during the election period," it added.

“Today, i.e. 26.04.2024, is the day earmarked as the polling day for Phase II of the ensuing Lok Sabha Elections, 2024. More specifically in West Bengal, the electorate was scheduled to vote in three Parliamentary Constituencies, which are, Darjeeling, Raiganj and Balurghat,” Mamata’s party said. 

“While elections were going on, the CBI deliberately carried out an unscrupulous raid at an empty location in Sandeshkhali. Media reports suggest that the CBI called in additional forces including the bomb squad of the National Security Guard (NSG). It has also been reported that arms and ammunition have been recovered from a house during such raid," it added. 

The TMC accused the CBI of orchestrating a deliberate media spectacle, falsely claiming to have raided a location associated with an ATIC supporter. “The entire gamut of the aforesaid incidents indicates that the CBI deliberately informed the media well in advance, so that there is nationwide odium and contempt against the AITC and its candidates during the present election period. Media was fed with false information that the location belonged to an AITC supporter,” it said. 

“Nothing has been proven in a court of law, however, the CBI has notoriously instrumentalised the media to spread this rumour. Hence ensuring, that a negative campaign is run against AITC not only during a polling day when the electors watch such news before casting their votes but also during the entire election period as a whole,” it added. 

Moreover, TMC’s letter implicated the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging a “concerted effort” to target the TMC through CBI’s actions. 

“It is apposite to mention that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Hon'ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, have regularly targeted AITC during its campaign trail vis-à-vis alleged crimes committed in Sandeshkhal,” the party said. 

“Pertinently, the CBI is controlled by the BJP through the Central Government. Today's actions are another testament to the fact that the BJP has weaponised the Central investigating agencies, including the CBI to, inter alia, carry out a smear campaign against AITC which would help sway the mindset of the voters in its favour, TMC alleged in its letter. 

TMC’s complaint comes in the wake of a recovery operation conducted by the CBI in Sandeshkhali, which uncovered a cache of weapons, including foreign-made firearms, linked to an earlier attack on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team.