THE Election Commission on Monday barred West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee from campaigning for 24 hours for her remarks against Central forces and a statement which had alleged religious overtones. “Commission hereby condemns such statements potent with serious law and order problems across the State (s) and sternly warns Mamata Banerjee and advises her to desist from using such statements while making public utterances during the period when Model Code of Conduct is in force,” the order said. It said that the “Commission also imposes a ban of 24 hours on Ms Mamata Banerjee from campaigning in any manner from 8.00 pm of April 12 till 8.00 pm of April 13”.

 

Lashing out at the Election Commission over its decision to bar her from campaigning for 24 hours, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would stage a dharna at at Gandhi Murti in the city on Tuesday to protest against the poll panel’s “unconstitutional decision”. Taking to Twitter, she wrote, “To protest against the undemocratic and unconstitutional decision of the Election Commission of India, I will sit on dharna tomorrow at Gandhi Murti, Kolkata from 12 noon.”

 

Assembly elections in West Bengal began on March 27 and four of the eight phases of the polls have been completed. The poll panel’s order cited two separate notices to Banerjee on April 7 and April 8, and her subsequent replies. On her speech which had alleged religious overtones, the Election Commission (EC) said that Banerjee has “selectively chosen” parts of her speech in her reply dated April 9 and “did not mention anything on the context of key parts of her speech”.