Kolkata: The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sunday, approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) with a complaint against four-time Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member and senior advocate, Kalyan Banerjee, accusing him of issuing “inciteful, derogatory, hateful and provocative statements” which is violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
In the complaint letter submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Sunday, the state unit of the BJP has accused Kalyan Banerjee of making a series of highly derogatory, inciteful and provocative statements in public against Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the latter’s recent comments that he would stay in the state for 15 days.
As supporting evidence, the BJP has also attached a video clip in which Banerjee was seen and heard making such comments.
“The subject statement is not an isolated incident, but a part of a continuing and escalating pattern of provocative and intimidatory rhetoric by TMC leadership and its functionaries. This repeated conduct indicates a deliberate and coordinated strategy to make abusive and inflammatory statements to fuel hostility, aggressive mobilisation, and to create an atmosphere of fear, polarisation and hatred through provocation by incisive, derogatory remarks, more so against the Hon’ble Union Minister SH. Amit Shah Ji. The repetitive, frequent, similar statements by TMC functionaries targeting the BJP leadership and party strongly indicate the TMC leadership’s intent to tarnish the BJP’s reputation,” read the complaint letter.
According to the BJP’s state leadership, the statements by Kalyan Banerjee were being made under the overall command, direction, and tacit approval of party leadership, reflecting a systemic and institutional disregard for MCC.
In the letter to the CEO, the BJP has requested the Commission to hold Banerjee guilty of violation of the MCC and direct immediate removal/takedown/censorship of the impugned video content from public circulation.
The BJP has also requested the Commission to issue strict censure and restraining directions against Banerjee and other functionaries of Trinamool Congress from making further such statements, and also direct initiation of appropriate proceedings against him under the applicable law.
