Raut Alleges ‘Conspiracy Against Democracy’ In Bengal, Assam Polls
The Rajya Sabha MP alleged that in India, it was not merely opposition parties that were being defeated, but the “system” itself that was prevailing.
Mumbai: Calling the election results in West Bengal and Assam “a conspiracy against democracy,” Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that the country’s constitutional system had fallen into the hands of “criminal gangs.”
“When the reins of power fall into the hands of scoundrels, the entire system gets criminalised,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader wrote in his weekly column Rokhthok in the party mouthpiece Saamana.
“Politics is the last refuge of scoundrels. The manner in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and their team contested the elections in West Bengal and subsequently defeated Mamata Banerjee has made it abundantly clear that politics is indeed a heaven for scoundrels,” Mr. Raut said.
The Rajya Sabha MP alleged that in India, it was not merely opposition parties that were being defeated, but the “system” itself that was prevailing. “If this system falls into the hands of people with a criminal mindset, they will continue to win by trampling upon democracy and the Constitution,” he said.
Mr. Raut further claimed that the BJP had “neutralised” the DMK in the South and the Trinamool Congress in the East, thereby weakening the opposition. “In Maharashtra, it blunted the opposition by engineering splits in the Shiv Sena and the NCP. In Delhi, it orchestrated the defeat of Arvind Kejriwal. The AIADMK, the Telugu Desam Party and Nitish Kumar have been reduced to mere pawns in the BJP’s political game,” the Rajya Sabha MP alleged.
Referring to “SIR” as a new weapon in the BJP’s arsenal, Mr. Raut alleged that the broader strategy involved “managing” electronic voting machines, returning officers, local administration and the police machinery to target key constituencies and ensure the defeat of prominent leaders.
He claimed that leaders such as Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, M. K. Stalin and Ms. Banerjee were defeated through such tactics. “The sole agenda is to ensure that no challenging leadership takes root. Throughout this process, the Election Commission has adopted a stance contrary to democratic principles,” he added.