Kolkata: The Election Commission has rubbished the memorandum sent to it by a delegation of the Trinamool Congress with regard to the ‘attack’ on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying that the petition is "full of insinuations and averments" and that it "undermines the very foundations of the Constitution."
In its memorandum, the TMC has said the EC could not abdicate its responsibility as it is in charge of law and order in poll-bound Bengal. The party has alleged a "deeprooted conspiracy to take the life" their chief and linked it to the abrupt removal of the state police chief by the Election Commission.
The EC reacted sharply to the charge and said: "It looks undignified to even respond to the allegation of all this being done at the behest of a particular political party". The poll panel further said it was "completely incorrect" to suggest that it had taken over the law and order machinery in the state in the name of conducting elections and appropriated the whole governance structure.
The EC had on Tuesday ordered the removal of the state Director General of Police over allegations of poll violence.
A BJP delegation also called on the Election Commission and demanded release of the original footage of the incident and the place of occurrence. "Not one eye witness seems to corroborate Mamata Banerjee's 'attack' version. People of Nandigram are upset and angry at her for blaming and bringing them into disrepute," tweeted Bengal BJP, posting what it said were witness accounts from the spot.
Meanwhile, after a closed-door meeting, the TMC election committee decided that a delegation of six party MPs will call on the ECI on Friday and mount pressure for a proper investigation into the Nandigram incident. Soon after the episode on Wednesday, the Election Commission had directed the state police to submit a detailed report on the matter by Friday.
