PM Modi calls WB violence 'murder of democracy'

New Delhi [India], May 15 (ANI): Calling it unfortunate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the violence that broke out during West Bengal panchayat elections on Tuesday was a murder of democracy.

Addressing the media party workers at BJP headquarters here, Prime Minister Modi said, "There is one more thing I want to talk about...the scenes from the Panchayat Elections in West Bengal. It was nothing but a murder of democracy. From the nomination stage to the day of polling, where was the spirit of democracy? People were bullied."

The Prime Minister further said that the people were not allowed to file nominations in the elections.

"People were disallowed to file nominations also. It is not only BJP people who suffered. People from all the leading parties except the one that rules Bengal suffered. This is serious. A land as great as West Bengal has to see such sights, it is unfortunate," he added.

He further said, "It is not about who wins polls....all those who are democratic-minded, including friends in civil society, they must come together to strengthen the democratic spirit. We cannot see things only in partisan terms."

The panchayat elections in West Bengal saw huge-scale clashes on Monday between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMc) workers, resulting in the death of at least 12 people.

The Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and other parties of the Left Front also staged a protest outside State Election Commission in Kolkata against the incidents of violence.

The voting took place for 621 zilla parishads, over six thousand panchayat samitis, and nearly 31 thousand gram panchayats.

The counting of votes will take place on May 17. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI