TMC slams Congress for backing SEC

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress today slammed Congress for backing the State Election Commission's suggestion to deploy central forces during the coming panchayat election in West Bengal, claiming that the law and order in the state was better than other states.


"Law and order is a state subject and it is irrelevant to support State Election Commission (SEC)'s demand for for holding panchayat election under central forces ... Law and order in West Bengal is better than in any other state," TMC all India general secretary Mukul Roy said here.

Roy was reacting to AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed's statement that Congress will support the suggestion given by SEC.

Roy, who was defending the state government's stand to hold the crucial panchayat polls under the state armed police, claimed that unlike in some other states there was no communal riot during the tenure of the Mamata Banerjee government.

"It is not wise to mix-up with Election Commission of India and the state poll panel. Just like the logistic support provided by the central government to the EC, the state governments do the same to the respective state election bodies which hold rural and municipal polls.

"The Trinamool Congress government will also do the same by providing the similar logistic support to the state election commission here with the existing forces," he told PTI.

Trinamool Congress had yesterday alleged the state election commissioner of being biased in favour of the opposition parties.