The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday urged the Election Commission to immediately restrain central agencies like the ED, CBI, Income Tax Department and NIA from taking action against candidates, leaders and workers of the Trinamool Congress and other parties opposed to the BJP till the conclusion of Lok Sabha elections. A TMC delegation, including Derek O'Brien, Dola Sen, Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghose met the Election Commission officials and submitted a memorandum complaining against central departments and agencies for allegedly illegally taking coercive steps against TMC members at the behest of the BJP. The delegation also urged the poll body to issue immediate transfer orders of the directors of ED, CBI, I-T department and the NIA to ensure a level playing field for all candidates and political parties in the Lok Sabha elections. The TMC leaders cited incidents where central agencies had taken action against their party candidates. “Yesterday, every single opposition party agreed (at INDIA bloc rally) and a resolution was passed that there is unprecedented and biased action by the central agencies. We have seen a surge in actions by the central agencies," Gokhale said. "All this is being done at the behest of the ruling party. Why has not a single official from the central agencies been transferred? Why is it limited to state government officials?" he said, urging the poll panel to pause the action of agencies. The party's list mentioned Krishnanagar candidate Mahua Moitra's office being raided by the CBI, ED summons to her and Chandranath Sinha, West Bengal's Minister-In-Charge of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles, Income-Tax raid on Jui Biswas, councillor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and the arrest of a number of TMC workers by the NIA in West Bengal. “Not only do TMC candidates have to contest the elections, but outside hindrances, like the ones mentioned above, are an ongoing battle they have to face. The assurance of the Election Commission of India to provide a level playing field is being compromised at every step. If workers at the local level are being hauled up on an everyday basis, then they have no time and energy left to carry out their prior political engagements. Such deliberate roadblocks instigated by the Central departments/agencies have only one beneficiary, i.e., the ruling dispensation at the Centre," the memorandum submitted by TMC stated. The party said it looks to the Election Commission to ensure a level playing field. "This must be done to protect the basic structure of the Constitution," the leaders said.
