AS expected, the expulsion of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Ms. Mahua Moitra from Lok Sabha has evoked some very sharp reactions from her party. But, while giving sharp reactions, TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee has gone a step further and used the words ‘betrayal of Parliamentary democracy’. This might please her supporters, but will not convince others. For, TMC does not have a stellar record in upholding democratic principles. Even if only a few of the recent incidents are to be recalled, those reflect poorly on TMC’s faith in democracy. Reference to the political violence that erupted in West Bengal soon after the Legislative Assembly elections in 2021 comes as a grim reminder of the culture of violence in the State. Sadly, it did not stop at that. Earlier this year, another round of political violence erupted during the Panchayat polls. The gyre of violence attracted the national attention. Even the Calcutta High Court ordered CBI probe into the violence. However, what was the response of TMC? Whenever it was in the dock over anti-democracy violence, TMC came up with excuses and faulty reasoning in a bid to block the probe. Did such statements or actions of TMC amount to upholding democracy?

 

Under the TMC rule, the West Bengal Government tried to curtail powers of the Governor, who is the Constitutional authority. One of the Bills brought in during TMC rule wanted to strip the Governor of the role as Chancellor of State universities. What kind of democratic and Constitutional principles were being upheld by TMC then? A few years ago, TMC chief resorted to antics like staging dharna against CBI officers, who wanted to raid the residence of Kolkata Police Commissioner in connection with chit fund case probe. Why did she want to scuttle probe into chit fund case, by creating a standoff between Centre and the State? Why did not she want the agencies to carry on with the probe in the interest of democracy and transparency? These are only a few of the incidents and questions. If one digs, more questions may come up. The TMC, which is alleging ‘betrayal’ of democracy following expulsion of Ms. Moitra, who was held guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman, will have to do a lot of answering over such points. Before resorting to making accusations, TMC must take stock of whether its actions were in the interest of preserving democracy.

 

In the instant case, Ms. Mahua Moitra has been found guilty by the Ethics Committee of Parliament. The committee followed due procedure, conducted hearings, called Ms. Moitra also to the hearing, and examined the evidence on record. After all this, the committee came to its conclusion and recommended her expulsion. Despite this, if TMC chief feels that there is ‘betrayal of democracy’, she must explain her not standing with the people, who are the core constituents of democracy, whenever there was political violence in West Bengal under her party’s rule. In inconvenient cases, probably, TMC chief places self-interest or party interest above democratic interest. Hence, whatever she or her party leaders might say on expulsion of Ms. Moitra, common people are not going to fall prey to such rhetoric. For, they are wise enough to discern what is right and what is wrong, and who is betraying democracy.