TMC lodges complaints with EC alleging poll code violation by Dilip Ghosh, BJP

The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday lodged complaints with the Election Commission against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s heavyweight leader, Dilip Ghosh, for allegedly threatening violence against the ruling party’s leaders and the saffron party’s unit in the state for posting contents in social media to allegedly incite communal violence.

The TMC alleged that Ghosh, the BJP’s candidate in Kharagpur Sadar constituency, had made a series of public statements containing explicit and specific threats of violence against AITC leaders, workers and the general public, violating the Model Code of Conduct, which had come into effect immediately after the EC announced the schedule of the elections in the state on Sunday.

Referring to the recent attack on the senior TMC leader and the state minister, Shashi Panja, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to address a BJP rally in Kolkata, the TMC alleged that Ghosh had been recorded in videos telling journalists that similar attacks could also occur at Kalighat and at the residence of TMC legislator Madan Mitra.

Mamata Banerjee, chief minister and the TMC supremo, lives in Kalighat.

The TMC demanded that the EC should issue a show-cause notice to Ghosh, asking him to explain why stringent action should not be taken against him for the aforesaid violations of the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The party also demanded that the commission should direct the concerned law enforcement authorities to register an FIR against the BJP leader under Sections 351 and 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and under Section 123(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The TMC lodged another complaint to the EC, alleging that the BJP’s unit in West Bengal had violated the poll code by circulating a “misleading and manipulated” video on X.

The BJP made the video by allegedly putting in it selectively edited speeches of Mamata and Mayor of Kolkata, Firhad Hakim, and presenting them out of context to falsely suggest that the TMC was pursuing a policy of “appeasement” to woo a particular community. The ruling party alleged that the content was designed to incite communal tension, spread misinformation, and polarise voters after the poll code came into force. It alleged that the circulation of the video was a violation of the MCC provisions against communal appeals during elections and Section 123(3A) of the Representation of the People Act.

The party has sought an immediate takedown of the video from the social media platform and a public apology from the BJP, apart from asking actions against those responsible, and directions to prevent further circulation of such content.