"TMC was disaster": Harsh Vardhan Shringla calls West Bengal assembly elections "free and fair"

New Delhi [India], May 20 (ANI): Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Wednesday characterised the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) recent triumph in West Bengal assembly elections as one of the most significant changes in political changes since 2014 and asserted that it was the first time that the election in the state was "conducted in a free and fair manner".

Speaking in an interview with ANI, Shringla emphasised that the state has entered a new era of governance under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, claiming that previous governments remained out of "sync" with the central government, calling TMC's tenure a "disaster".
"Since Prime Minister Modi was elected in 2014, victory of the BJP in Bengal has been one of the most momentous changes in our political landscape. That is because Bengal has not had a change, really, in terms of the governance structures of the last 50-60 years. Since the CPI (M) took over, that level of governance was not what was desired. But at least over the last 50-60 years, you've had state governments in West Bengal run by those who have not been in sync with the centre. West Bengal, over a period of time, has seen a level of deterioration that other states have not seen," said Shringla.
Launching a sharp critique of TMC, he asserted that the state's political situation deteriorated severely under their administration. The TMC was a disaster. They institutionalised corruption, they made Bengal insecure, they indulged in communalism and I think they deprived vast parts of the state, including my part, which is North Bengal and the hills of Darjeeling, of any development whatsoever," he said.
Drawing a contrast to the previous goverment, Shringla pointed to immediate policy changes being executed by the newly formed BJP government under Suvendu Adhikari, which he believes will fulfil core electoral promises.
"Today, you have an absolute transformation which is evident. I think Prime Minister Modi's personal involvement in Bengal, his love for Bengal reciprocated by the people of Bengal, was characterised by that one act in which he took Jhalmuri when he went to Jhagadam in the tribal belt of Bengal. And I think today people of Bengal are looking for the change that BJP has promised," he stated.
"Some of the change has already been reflected in the decisions taken by the government," he said, highlighting "momentous decisions" aimed at "ensuring security, filling the gaps on the border fencing, whether it is providing security for women and going into the misconduct that has taken place over the last 15 years against the women of Bengal, whether it is supporting women in their endeavours towards work, towards supporting their families, or whether it is ensuring that the employees of the West Bengal government receive their due in terms of Seventh Pay Commission recommendations".
Shringla emphasised that a prosperous West Bengal is essential for the economic balance and upward growth of the entire eastern belt of the country.
"The lack of development in Bengal is affecting our entire eastern region. With Bengal today now on the path to development, our entire eastern region will benefit. Right from the northeast, Bihar, Jharkhand, and all of this area will benefit. And we will see a new eastern region which will be in sync with the rest of the country because otherwise growth was asymmetric. I have always pointed out that we have had high growth in western India, southern India, northern India, but not eastern India. And now is the opportunity for us to get that right," he stated, adding that it would ensure that the country moves together to become a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
When asked regarding opposition allegations of electoral manipulation and "vote chori" (vote theft), Shringla dismissed the accusations as double standards.
"So when you win the elections in 2021 or 2024, then it is absolutely free and fair. But when you lose, it is vote chori," Shringla countered. "The fact is that this is the first election that was conducted in a free and fair manner," he asserted.
Shringla asserted that strict measures this time effectively eliminated rampant illegal voting practices.
"I myself spent a lot of time in North Bengal, particularly in Cooch Behar, where we had responsibilities. In that area, which is the easternmost province of Bengal, nine Vidhan Sabha constituencies lie very closely with the law and order authorities, with the observers in order to ensure that there was no malpractices, no violence, no intimidation, and no harassment of populations and communities that would prevent free and fair elections from taking place," he said.
Shringla said, "All of these people who were indulging in malpractices, one person has three or four cards, he's voting on three or four different names. Some people have passed away, but their names are being used to vote," he explained, highlighting that "the presence of central armed police forces up to the booth level has ensured that people, for the first time, have exercised their vote in a manner that is free and fair... The Bharatiya Janata Party has come to power for the first time in West Bengal, because the people of Bengal wanted a change, not because of any other reason".
The BJP secured a decisive victory in the Assembly polls, winning 207 seats and ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule in the state. The TMC managed to secure 80 seats in the elections. (ANI)