MATHABHANGA (Cooch Behar): Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the Centre of “running the polls with goons and guns”. And PM Narendra Modi has even surpassed Donald Trump while doing that, Banerjee said at an election rally in Cooch Behar’s Mathabhanga.
Referring to Modi’s jibe that the TMC chief has changed her stance over the years and is now casting aspersions on security forces, Banerjee said: “Yes, Mr Prime Minister, I respect central forces, but only if they are neutral.”
Central forces who are involved in atrocities against people, including women, are not above the law and will face action, she said. The CM also urged people to lodge FIRs and move the EC for any excesses committed by the forces.
Alleging that of the seveneight people killed since the polls were announced, four are Trinamool workers, Banerjee hit back at the PM, saying, “You keep citing the Bengal panchayat polls, but not so many people lost their lives during that election.”
She urged the EC to take note of the way the polls are being conducted. “Democracy is being abused and throttled here. Kintu goondami kore jeta jay na (You can’t win elections by hooliganism),” she said.
“Realising that they will lose all the 31 seats that went to the poll today, they have unleashed terror. They have beaten up my party candidates, one of them a Scheduled Caste woman. Central forces are intimidating people saying, ‘BJP ko vote nahi diya to dekh lenge’ What will you see? You are here for a few days. I urge people to lodge FIRs against these personnel and their local commandants. We will probe under whose instructions they are doing this. They are here to help maintain law and order, not to snatch votes,” the Trinamool chief said.
“Nearly 100 complaints (against central forces) have been lodged. Each one of them will be probed. I have been an MP seven times. I have seen central forces work during elections under several prime ministers. I have never seen central forces threaten people and indulge in electoral malpractices. And now they have even started beating up people,” she said. “I do not support the central forces who are actively canvassing for BJP,” she added.
“I would urge my brothers and sisters to resist peacefully to any such attempts by central forces to intimidate you. I will felicitate them on behalf of my party. It is not the work of central forces to tell people whom to vote for. Why will they say BJP ko vote do?” she said.
Referring to Modi’s Cooch Behar rally during the day, the TMC chief said: “The PM has again peddled lies on Narayani Battalion. He said it will be done after elections. This was a long-standing demand of the people in Cooch Behar. But how will he do it? I have the papers. In a RTI reply, it has been clearly mentioned that the Centre has no such proposal. What a liar! We have already done it. A Narayani Battalion (of the state armed police) will come up in Cooch Behar,” she said, showing the RTI and the reply to people.
Alleging that the BJP has scared and intimidated people with NRC and NPR, Banerjee said, “Not a single person (in Bengal) will be evicted. All will get their legal status, their refugee certificates and respect. We have ensured that.” Banerjee said, “In Assam, they have deleted the names of 14 lakh Bengalis. We are giving land rights to all refugees. We have assured all refugee colonies will be recognised. You will get your land deeds slowly. We have taken a decision on the state cabinet. Not one refugee (in Bengal) can say they are not Indian citizens.”