After losing national party status, TMC may take legal alternative

Kolkata: None of the senior Trinamool Congress leaders have come forward so far to air their views after the Election Commission of India on Monday withdrew its national party status, though there was hint that the ruling party in West Bengal might consider taking legal recourse in this matter.

Just a one-liner came from party spokesman Kunal Ghosh, who said that it is too early to make any comment on the ECI’s decision.

“The party leadership will review the development before making any detailed statement in this matter,” Ghosh said.

Senior Trinamool leader and three-time Lok Sabha MP Saugata Roy, while claiming that the party leadership will take a final decision in this matter, said that the ECI’s decision will surely be opposed.

“Previously, a number of decisions taken by the Election Commission have proved to be wrong. The Commission has also been censored by the Supreme Court a number of times. Besides sending a deputation to the Commission, we might also consider taking the legal route in this matter,” Roy said.

A senior member of the state Cabinet said on condition of anonymity that the apprehension about this development was there for some time now.

“The party leadership has decided to announce a detailed blueprint of the action to be taken after thoroughly reviewing the decision of the Election Commission,” he said.

Political observers, however, feel that although the Trinamool leadership has every right to challenge ECI’s decision in court, in all probability, that will not be an effective step since the Indian Constitution has given full liberty to the poll panel in such matters.

Death knell for Trinamool: BJP

The West Bengal unit of the BJP ridiculed the Trinamool Congress after the latter lost its national party status, terming the decision as a death knell for the party’s pan-India plans.

State BJP’s President and Lok Sabha member Sukanta Majumdar said that this development was inevitable.

“Trinamool Congress tried to retain its national party status by contesting polls in Goa, Tripura and Meghalaya, where it spent huge sums to lure the voters. But the voters rejected the Trinamool candidates as they realised that it would be a disaster if Trinamool comes to power. So this development was inevitable and it shattered the dreams of many parties like Trinamool who want see their leaders as the Prime Minister of the country,” Majumdar said.

BJP’s national Vice President and Lok Sabha MP Dilip Ghosh said that the huge sums spent by Trinamool for election campaign in Goa, Tripura and Meghalaya were mainly the proceeds collected by the party leaders from different scams in West Bengal.

“The people of these three states were aware of the plight of the common people of West Bengal, so they rejected the Trinamool Congress. This is the beginning of the end for Trinamool,” Ghosh said.