Democracy in Bengal 'held at gunpoint': Dharmendra Pradhan

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday alleged that democracy in West Bengal was being "held at gunpoint" and accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of refusing to accept the spirit of the electoral mandate.

In a post on X, Pradhan said mandates were being treated "less like the people's voice and more like suggestions open to rejection", raising questions over whether power was being treated as a responsibility or an entitlement.

"Democracy in Bengal is being held at gunpoint, and the refusal to accept the electoral verdict lays this reality bare. Mandates are being treated less like the people's voice and more like suggestions open to rejection. The refusal of Mamata Banerjee to accept the spirit of the mandate raises a serious question: Is power being treated as a responsibility or merely as an entitlement?" he said.

He further alleged that the Trinamool Congress leadership was resisting accountability and, in the process of "clinging to power", attempting to erode the credibility of institutions such as the Election Commission and security forces.

"In the process of clinging to power, Mamata Banerjee is not just rejecting the people's mandate but also attempting to erode the credibility of institutions like the Election Commission and security forces, undermining the very pillars that ensure free, fair and secure elections," he said.

Pradhan also claimed that governance in the state had long been marked by intimidation and entrenched political patronage, adding that ignoring the mandate would undermine democratic legitimacy.

"This mandate of Bengal is a rejection of fear, a rejection of coercion and a demand for accountability. To ignore it is to undermine the very foundation of democratic legitimacy," he said.

"The Constitution of India does not recognise stubbornness as a virtue in governance. Accountability is not optional, and mandates are non- negotiable," he added.

Mamata Banerjee has refused to tender her resignation after losing the state to the BJP. The BJP sealed a landslide victory with 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, ending the TMC's uninterrupted 15-year rule in the state.

Banerjee alleged large-scale irregularities in the counting process. The TMC chief claimed that the mandate in nearly 100 seats "was looted" and that the counting was deliberately slowed down to demoralise her party.

"The question of my resignation does not arise, as we were defeated not by a public mandate but by a conspiracy. I did not lose; I will not go to Lok Bhavan. They can take action as per constitutional norms," she told reporters.