- Mamata Banerjee has vowed to challenge post-poll violence in court and enforce party discipline
- Banerjee has announced a black dress protest on assembly opening day
- BJP's Suvendu Adhikari has denied ongoing post-poll violence and promised action
Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, who has refused to put in her resignation from the Chief Minister post, is adamant about the decision, come what may. "Let them dismiss me. I want this to be a black day," she said amid the condemnation and consternation pouring in since yesterday.
The party, Banerjee said at a meeting with her MLAs today, will go to court against the post-poll violence that has been on since April 29.
The attempt to boost morale also came with a warning: A disciplinary committee has also been formed against any party leader who speaks against the party publicly, she said.
The BJP's Suvendu Adhikari - the front-runner in the race for the top post - has emphatically declared that no post poll violence is taking place in Bengal.
"Sporadic incidents reported so far have been much less than the post poll violence that happened in 2021. There are some goons are still out there. The BJP led government will take strong action," he said.
Banerjee also wants to keep the party in protest mode. The day the assembly opens will be a black dress day, she declared.
The 71-year-old has dug in her heels since the declaration of results, blaming the Election Commission for her loss at the hustings. She has accused the poll panel of playing "nasty games" and pointed to defeats for non-BJP alliances in recent elections in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Bihar.
Since yesterday, Banerjee's declaration that she won't resign has had political leaders scurrying for a rulebook. There is none that explicitly lays down the SOP - probably because no one envisaged such a situation ever coming up.
The rules are open to interpretation, and the consensus is that the Governor can technically dismiss the Chief Minister, who holds office at his pleasure and can be in office only till the legislative assembly is dissolved.
There are also provisions for the dismissal being preceded by a trust vote - not applicable in case a fresh mandate is in - and imposition of President's Rule - an extreme situation since the Governor can easily invite the winning party or alliance to form a new government.
The term of the current Bengal Assembly ends on May 7, Thursday, leaving practically no room for a solution.
So far, many, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, have called for Banerjee's dismissal.
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