July 8, 2013
I have been striving for the polls since last year – Mamata Banerjee at Lalgarh
AITMC Chairperson Ms. Mamata Banerjee on Monday at a panchayat election campaign in Lalgarh, West Medinipur said:
“We were forced to submit before the orders of the court to let the panchayat elections take place in the month of Ramzan as it is a constitutional obligation. Moreover, unlike them (the commission and the opposition), who didn't want the elections and proposed to snatch people's democratic rights, we wanted the polls, especially because the terms of Panchayat have either expired or will expire. We apologize that the elections are being held during Ramzan. We also condemn those who imposed it at this time. I have been striving for the polls since last year, but the Congress, CPI-M and BJP did not allow me to hold polls, fearing they would lose. They had gone to the court. I would have objected had the polls been ordered during Durga Puja as well.
We wanted to hold the elections in December. But our government was not allowed to go for the elections at that time. Later we also tried to hold the elections in March this year, but that time too, we failed to organize the polls due to many reasons. The state election commission had moved court and dates for holding the polls were changed thrice.
We wanted election. They did not want it. They wanted to deny the people to exercise their democratic rights.
I had urged the Centre to seal our state's borders with Jharkhand and Odisha after the killing of a district SP in Jharkhand. But it has not been done. “
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