M K Stalin slams EC for banning campaign in 9 constituencies in Bengal

MK Stalin

Chennai: Launching a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India for cutting short the campaign period in West Bengal, DMK chief M K Stalin on Thursday backed Trinamool Congress saying the EC has one set of rules for the opposition and another for the ruling party.

"Ban on campaign in nine constituencies in #WestBengal. The EC has one set of rules for the opposition and another for the ruling party. Highly condemnable," he tweeted.

Accusing the BJP of vandalising the statue of the 19th-century social reformer Iswara Chandra Vidyasagar, he further said, "The BJP follows a typical pattern. It vandalised Periyar statue in Tamil Nadu and Iswara Chandra Vidyasagar in West Bengal."

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday accused the BJP of vandalizing Bengali polymath Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's statue during clashes at his roadshow in Kolkata on Tuesday.

The two parties also sparred over vandalisation of Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar's statue on during the BJP rally. Derek O'Brien and his party said BJP workers were behind the incident, a claim refuted by Amit Shah at his media address.

"BJP people indulged in the violence during Amit Shah's roadshow. The roadshow is just a roadshow, you are not supposed to paste posters on government buildings and other places," TMC MP Derek O'Brien told the media.

O'Brien showed two videos in which people were seen vandalizing public property. The TMC leader claimed he had 44 more such videos which he said can prove that "BJP goons" were involved in the violence in Kolkata.

"These videos establish that the BJP President is a liar and cheater."

Another TMC leader, Manish Gupta, accused the BJP of bringing "goons" and keeping them in hotels to indulge in violence.

O'Brien also accused the central forces of helping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal.

"The Central forces are in league with the BJP in Bengal. They are in alliance with the BJP."

O'Brien said he along with a TMC delegation will meet the Election Commission and lodge a complaint regarding the violence, and also hand over the videos which he said were "authentic proof" against the BJP.

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