Mamata Banerjee vows to thwart bid to inflame communal passions

Midnapore (WB), Jan. 3: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today vowed to continue her fight against those trying to inflame communal passion in the country by the name of religion.

Without naming any party, Banerjee told a meeting here, “We will continue to fight against those who are trying to inflame communal passion in the country and engineer riots. We will thwart their ill designs”.

Asserting she would go as far necessary to uphold secularism, Banerjee told a public meeting here, “Won’t allow anyone to play dirty politics by the name of religion”.
Banerjee hailed yesterday’s Supreme Court verdict seeking to separate religion, caste and other issues from politics.

The SC held as “corrupt” the practice of candidates appealing for votes on the basis of these identities included not only him but his agents and voters.

In a marked departure from the view held in the 1995 “Hindutva” judgement that the term ‘his’ used in section 123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act meant the religion, caste, etc of candidates only, a seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, by a majority of 4:3, held yesterday that any appeal for votes on these grounds would amount to “corrupt practice”.