Kolkata, Apr 19 (UNI) Union Law minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday questioned Mamata Banerjee's sincerity to combat the Covid situation and asked her how many meetings, convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the issue did she attend.
"We in the BJP will abide by the decision of the Election Commission of India whatever it takes on the issue because it has the constitutional obligation in poll bound West Bengal in the face of Covid situation," Mr Prasad told a media conference here while being asked about BJP's stand on the
surge of pandemic in the state.
"Even in the last meeting called by the PM, Mamata Banerjee said she was busy with the elections," Mr Prasad elaborated when asked about his position on TMC supremo's demand to club the remaining three phases poll into a single day.
After the fifth phase poll was over on April 17, three more phases to be held on April 22, 26 and 29 for the remaining 114 seats.
The polling for 180 seats have been completed.
Mr Prasad reiterated that the BJP will take on whatever the ECI decides because the poll body has constitutional obligation.
"I am from Bihar and we maintained the ECI directives as the poll was held in a pandemic situation," Mr Prasad said.
He said the Centre was making efforts to combat the pandemic in association with the state governments.
Mr Prasad also slammed TMC leader Mamata Banerjee for her remarks to gherao the central security forces on poll duty.
"I have not seen a chief minister to utter to gherao the forces while the model code of conduct is in force. The central forces are the representative of the Election Commission of India to ensure free and fair polling. Has she forgotten when the same force had guarded the polling centres during the
Communist rule and she came to power in 2011," asked the union law minister.
"Chief minister Mamata Banerjee's call to her party supporters to gherao the central forces on poll duty shows her desperation and act of instigation of violence," said Mr Prasad.
He also lambasted the TMC supremo for not giving consent to the Centre for setting up 123 fast track courts against the rapists and sexual violators of the girls under 12, Mr Prasad said, adding that his ministry has sent as many as three letters since 2019, the latest one on February 15,2021,
but the state government was sitting on those letters despite 20221 cases pending.
While the rest of the country was having such fast track courts to expedite the trials on rape and other cases sexual violence on the girls, the West Bengal government was sitting quietly despite the crime
was graph shooting up, he added.
Mr Prasad said the TMC leader was insensitive on the issues of the girls and women, adding that the party had even objected the tin-talaq in both the houses of Parliament.
Mr Prasad, who is also the IT minister, said the TMC government was not at all interested in the development of IT and Startups because the Central government had made offers several times to set IT hub at Phalta and Naihati and BOPs in all the sub-divisions of the state.
He said all these would happen after May 2, the day results of the 8-phase assembly polls will be declared.
He said Bengal was yearning for "Asol Poribartan".
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