Death knell of democracy should not ring in hands of its custodian: Bengal governor

People taking out time to complain to the governor is indicative of their impending defeat in the panchayat polls, Thapa added.Lambasting the Governor for criticising the role of the state government, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged that the Governor was speaking like a politician.The Governor has gone to the hills and is holidaying there.

In the backdrop of incidents of violence ahead of the panchayat polls in West Bengal, Governor C V Ananda Bose on Thursday sent out a strong message to the state administration, saying the “death knell of democracy” should not ring in the hands of its custodian.

Bose, who held a meeting with representatives of several parties at the circuit house here, described the current situation in the poll-bound state as ''very, very disturbing''.

''The death knell of democracy must not ring in the hands of its custodian. We must take care of that,'' Bose said.

The governor said he will continue visiting areas witnessing violence to have first-hand knowledge of what is happening.

Expressing his commitment to carefully monitor every situation in the poll-bound state, Bose stressed that he would prefer to be a “governor of ground zero”.

''What is happening in the field is very, very disturbing. That is what the court has reflected in its various pronouncements and observations. We will certainly see that the present trend is reversed and there is peace and harmony in society.

''Every citizen will be able to cast his vote freely and fearlessly -- that is a commitment and we are trying to take it forward. I am going to the field. I like to have a feel of the field. Yes, I want to be a ground-zero governor as far as the violence is concerned,'' he added.

Bose, who is on a short trip to the northern districts of the state, said that he has visited various places and spoken to the victims.

Widespread violence over the filing of nominations for the rural polls has left at least eight people dead and several injured in various parts of the state in the past two weeks.

Governor office sources said that at the meeting with representatives of various parties, the opposition voiced concern over the inability of several candidates to file nominations in the face of threats and intimidation allegedly by workers and supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

The last date for filing nominations for the July 8 panchayat polls in the state was on June 15.

The opposition demanded that the deployment of the central forces be continued even six weeks after the counting of votes on July 11, fearing post-poll violence.

At the meeting, a delegation of BJP alliance partners from the Darjeeling hills, led by BJP’s Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, was present.

BJP MLA of Darjeeling, Neeraj Zimba, and Pratap Khati of ABGL were also present.

GJM leader Bimal Gurung and Hamro Party chief Ajoy Edwards, however, were not present at the meeting, sources said.

''I apprised the Governor about the deteriorating law and order situation in the hill regions of Darjeeling and Kalimpong. We have also requested him to intervene to ensure central forces are deployed here immediately. We have further requested him that in the given situation, may the central forces be deployed for at least six weeks after the results are declared,'' Bista said.

Bista, who is the national spokesperson of the BJP, said that Bose assured them of taking necessary action to ensure peaceful elections.

Talking to reporters, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief executive and BGPM leader Anit Thapa said that they do not have any problem with the deployment of central forces in the hills.

''The governor knows there is no other place as peaceful as the hills. We have no problems with the deployment of central forces in the hills. We are not getting time for anything other than canvassing. People taking out time to complain to the governor is indicative of their impending defeat in the panchayat polls,'' Thapa added.

Lambasting the Governor for criticising the role of the state government, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged that the Governor was speaking like a politician.

''The Governor has gone to the hills and is holidaying there. He is speaking like a politician, like a spokesperson for the opposition. The Raj Bhavan has become a safe house for the BJP,'' Ghosh said.