Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday expressed fear that many Trinamool Congress workers could face arrests ahead of the two-phase Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for April 23 and 29.
Her party on Monday moved Calcutta High Court seeking immediate judicial intervention, alleging a “plan” by the Election Commission (EC) to arrest around 800 of its workers before the polls.
Addressing a public meeting at Murarai in Birbhum district, Mamata claimed that she had specific inputs on planned crackdowns on her party workers.
“They have planned to arrest many of our party workers. I have the list. However, I will fight inch by inch. They have targeted only Trinamool Congress workers,” the Trinamool supremo said, describing the BJP as “a party of goons”.
Mamata did not name any authority directly, but her remarks were seen as aimed at the EC, which she has repeatedly alleged has been acting as a stooge of the BJP in
the state.
The chief minister also accused the BJP of conspiring against her party’s poll strategist I-PAC, alleging multiple attempts to render it inactive in Bengal through central agencies.
“You have so many agencies working for you (the BJP). I have just one. You are still asking it to go away from Bengal. You should feel ashamed,” she said.
She also alleged that the central forces deployed for the Bengal elections had been tasked with manipulating the EVMs.
“I have definite information on this. Those who will be present during the counting (of votes) should keep watch.... As long as the votes are not added to the computer, no one should give up. You will have to fight. The battle must be won,” Mamata said.
Jhalmuri jibe
Mamata also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his allegedly impromptu stop during his election campaign in Jhargram on Sunday afternoon to buy jhalmuri from a snack vendor for ₹10.
Questioning its authenticity, Mamata said: “It’s all drama. How come a camera was present when the Prime Minister suddenly made an unscheduled stop during the campaign? The entire episode was scripted. He was also seen carrying a ₹10 note in his pocket. Is it believable?”
Later in the day, Mamata alleged fresh harassment by central authorities, claiming that her helicopter was delayed after the Murarai meeting, causing her to reach Khardah late for a campaign in support of Trinamool candidate Devadeep Purohit.
She accused the airport authorities at Dum Dum of deliberately detaining her.
“They kept me stranded on the runway for half an hour. They made all the planes land in a roundabout way, but they delayed mine (chopper),” she alleged. “Yesterday (Sunday), (Jharkhand chief minister and JMM leader) Hemant Soren’s helicopter was also delayed for 40 minutes. They are treating us like this. The BJP’s people are sitting at the airport. This is deliberate,” she added.