The collapse of an under-construction flyover here killing at least 27 people just three days before the elections has come as a major setback to the ruling Trinamool Congress, still smarting from the Narada News sting video that allegedly showed its leaders accepting bribes.
Raising the pitch over the two incidents, a united Opposition — the Left Front and the Congress — launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleging “rampant corruption”.
But is corruption a major issue in Bengal polls? Leaders of both the Left Front and the Congress said that though the issue of corruption was important, in the current Assembly elections, issues such as the attacks on democracy, lack of industrialisation and the deteriorating law and order situation are of equal concern. Eminent social scientist and political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty considers the attack on democracy by Trinamool cadres a major poll issue.
For him, corruption comes third on the list of issues. “The first being the Trinamool government’s politics of giving doles and the second, the attack on democracy,” Professor Chakravarty said.
Opposition leader and CPI(M) State Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra told The Hindu that tackling corruption was also part of the Left’s political battle. “These instances [ Narada issue] vindicate our stand of corruption at the topmost level of the ruling party,” Dr. Mishra said.
State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, told The Hindu that while corruption may affect the voting choices of urban electorate, it was premature to say if it would have an impact.
