On Monday, the last day of the campaign ahead of the by-polls in six assembly constituencies in West Bengal, Sukanta Majumdar, Union Minister of State for Education and the BJP state president, has been issued a show cause notice by the Election Commission of India on Monday for his comments on the Ashoka Stambh.
Majumdar had accused the West Bengal police of working in a partisan manner in favour of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). He suggested that the police replace the Ashoka Stambh on their uniforms with a symbol of slippers, representing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's footwear.
While campaigning for the BJP candidate Ananya Roy Chakraborty in Taldangra last week, Majumdar said, “Don’t work for Trinamool in the police uniform. If you work like this, take off the Ashoka Stambh symbols that you wear on your shoulder and hat. Put a slippers symbol.”
“We are not fighting Trinamool in the election. Our fight is with the police. If the police are removed, Trinamool will cease to exist within 15 minutes,” he added.
The TMC argued this “derogatory” statement by the BJP’s West Bengal chief was an insult to the police and the Ashoka Stambh. A delegation of the state’s ruling party, including MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Derek O’Brien, Sushmita Dev, Kirti Azad, and Saket Gokhale, lodged a formal complaint at the ECI’s office in New Delhi on Saturday.
The ECI has requested Majumdar to send his reply by 8 pm on Monday. The BJP leader, who campaigned for the party’s candidate in the Naihati assembly during the day, said he would submit his response before the deadline.
Additionally, the Trinamool had complained to the election commission, alleging that the Central forces in election duties as well as those responsible for the security of the BJP leaders in West Bengal were trying to influence voters.
