Days after violence in West Bengal during Panchayat Polls, BJP's fact-finding team chief Ravi Shankar Prasad on 12 July hit out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioning the law and order issues in the state. The fact-finding team comprising 4 MPs visited the violence-affected areas on Wednesday.
“Why should more than 40 people lose their lives in the gram panchayat election? Why the so-called colleagues who are trying to forge an alliance against Narendra Modi are maintaining a conspicuous silence? We will visit and submit our report to the President. I hope the Mamata government will allow us to visit the affected areas,” the former Union minister said.
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The four-member committee, appointed by BJP national president JP Nadda, will visit “all the areas affected by rampant violence, killing, bomb blast, in the wake of gram panchayat elections in Bengal". "We propose to visit all the affected areas, meet those who are tortured and victimised,” Prasad earlier told reporters. Other than Prasad, BJP MP Satya Pal Singh, former Uttar Pradesh DGP and Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal, BJP National Vice President Rekha Verma, and Assam BJP leader Dr Rajdeep Roy are part of the committee.
"I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, why is he silent when his party workers are getting beaten in Bengal? The murder of 48 people during the West Bengal Panchayat elections is a sickening sign of a shameful democracy," Prasad further said.
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The violence, which rocked the panchayat polls on Saturday, had claimed at least 15 lives, while three more were murdered on counting day on Wednesday. Since elections were announced last month, at least 33 people have lost their lives in poll-related violence, with the ruling party suffering 60 per cent of the deaths.
Mamata Banerjee's Response
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee questioned where the fact-finding team was during the Manipur violence. "Where was this team when Assam was burning due to NRC? How many commissions visited these places? Within 2 years, close to 154 teams have visited West Bengal. These are BJP provocation committees, not the fact-finding committees. It is unfortunate that so many died (during WB Panchayat polls). They are victims of circumstances. I have told the police to take action," she further said.
She announced that 19 people have died, and their families will be provided Rs 2 lakhs compensation and a special home guard job. "We will not differentiate based on the party they belong to, all those who have died will be given compensation and job from the government," she said.
