Kolkata: Congress on April 26 said the Constitutional machinery in West Bengal had not failed to necessitate Central intervention as demanded by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Trinamool Congress (TC) on allegations that several thousand Opposition nominees were prevented by the ruling Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPM) from contesting the upcoming panchayat elections.

Senior Congress leader and state unit chief Pranab Mukherjee, however, said it seemed there was some lacunae in the election process since such a large number of panchayat seats went uncontested this time.

"But that does not mean that the Constitutional machinery has failed in West Bengal," he said.

Mukherjee's statement came days after his comments that the BJP-led government had a majority in the Rajya Sabha and could impose Central rule in West Bengal if it wanted.

"NDA government is led by BJP. Let them intervene if they feel it necessary," he said on TC's demand for applying Article 355 in West Bengal.

"I don't understand the logic behind BJP's eagerness to stop terror in West Bengal alone, when the Centre did not consider it necessary to intervene during the Gujarat riots and Chief Minister Narendra Modi's utterances seeking retaliatory action."

He said under Article 355 it shall be the duty of the Union to protect every state against external and internal disturbance and to ensure that government of every state was carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

PTI