PM Narendra Modi pans TMC government over panchayat poll violence

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses party supporters during a celebration event ahead of wining the Karnataka election in New Delhi on May 15, 2018. India's opposition Congress party suffered an electoral setback May 15 in one of the last major states which it governs and scrambled to build a coalition to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party taking over. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won most seats in Karnataka but fell short of a clear majority in the state of 60 million people, which includes the wealthy global IT hub of Bangalore. Pic/AFP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hit out at the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal over violence during the panchayat elections in the state, saying democracy was "murdered" for narrow political interests.

Addressing BJP workers at the party headquaters here following the Karnataka verdict, he said the people should think seriously about the violence in West Bengal yesterday.

"The way democracy was murdered... from (filing of) nominations to polling, democracy had no place," he said. Modi claimed that efforts were made to ensure that "opposition candidates are unable to file their nominations so that ruling party members are elected unopposed".

"Ballot boxes were found in a pond... innocent party workers, not only of the BJP but of other parties too, were killed," he said. Modi told the gathering that once the people of Bengal led the nation, but blood was spilled yesterday to further political interests.

"I don't talk of who wins or loses, but democracy was wounded... All parties, the civil society and the judiciary will have to play an active role... My concern is democracy, and I am not here to blame any political party," he said.

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