KATWA: CM Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused PM Narendra Modi of “intercepting” her phone calls. “Don’t you have any shame that you intercept a CM’s phone? You should resign as PM,” Banerjee said.
The Criminal Investigation Department had been asked to track down the person/s responsible for intercepting her telephone conversations, she said, adding that even Modi was within the ambit of the inquiry.
His statements at the Asansol rally on Saturday were a direct “admission” that CMs were under telephone surveillance, Banerjee said, adding: “The probe will not exclude you. You must respond (to this surveillance allegation) or resign.”
Banerjee’s response to the audio tape released by the BJP followed the line Trinamool took on Friday, when it did not deny the voice heard on the tape was hers and said putting CMs’ telephones under surveillance did not match the Centre’s stated stand in Parliament.
“We may be politically opposed to you but we at least value the chair you occupy,” Banerjee said, reminding Modi that even the Supreme Court had upheld the right to privacy.
“I never said anything wrong (on the tape). They killed those children. They were barely 20-25. I had said keep the bodies... I would go the next day. How could I have gone that day? Could I have gone there on election day? I am not a Cooch Behar voter. So I said to keep the bodies. It is true that I wanted to go there. I had also told the media that I will go to Sitalkuchi the next day. But then the Election Commission said I could not go there for 72 hours. What does it prove? Does it prove anything at all?” she asked.
“People understand who has encouraged this (putting my phone under surveillance) when the PM of the country himself refers to the tape,” the Bengal CM said in her first public response to the leaked tape.
Banerjee, attacking Modi for peddling lies and having mistaken priorities, said: “The country is witnessing an emergency because of rising Covid cases. And he is electioneering in Bengal.”
She also iterated her allegations against the “politisation” of central forces.
“They have been photographed sharing a meal with a BJP candidate. I would appeal to central forces to work impartially. People will go to court against you if you foment trouble. Do not heed BJP leaders. They will not stand by you. You will have to keep coming here (if people lodge cases). A case has been lodged in the Sitalkuchi incident,” Banerjee said before repeating that she “respected central forces”.
The Election Commission campaign curbs were aimed at restricting the Trinamool Congress, Banerjee said. “They reduced four days of campaign time. Why? Because BJP leaders did not have any programmes then while I had scheduled programmes. Polling is moving towards urban localities but the EC has stopped evening meetings, when urban localities have public meetings after dusk because mornings are spent in door-to-door campaigning. Why? I suggested you club the last three phases. There is a 2020 Supreme Court order on this. But this was ignored,” she added.