West Bengal panchayat polls: Mamata Banerjee turns ‘tea-seller’ while campaigning
1 min read 26 Jun 2023, 09:41 PM ISTAs panchayat election fervour heats up in West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee was today seen, in a viral video, making tea and serving it to people at a roadside tea stall at Malbazar of Jalpaiguri
PremiumAs panchayat election fervour heats up in West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee was today seen, in a viral video, making tea and serving it to people at a roadside tea stall at Malbazar of Jalpaiguri as a part of her campaign for upcoming Panchayat polls. The video was shared by news agency ANI.
West Bengal Chief Minister accused the BSF of scaring voters in the bordering areas of the state at the behest of the BJP and asked the state police to keep a close watch on their activities.
"I have information that in the run up to the panchayat election, some BSF officials are visiting the border areas, threatening voters and forcing them not to vote. I will ask people not to be scared of their tactics and fearlessly participate in the elections," Banerjee told an election rally in the bordering district.
Banerjee said the TMC will strive to remove corruption in the local body as the party had renewed its focus to the rural polls through mass outreach programmes.
Taking a swipe at BJP's slogan of "double engine government", the TMC chief said the "BJP's double engine would get deflated in panchayat and then again in the next Lok Sabha polls."
Banerjee asserted "law and order is a state subject" and the Centre has no role in it. Asserting that Trinamool will defeat BJP in the three-tier rural polls, Banerjee said, "We will then oust the BJP from the Centre and bring a development-oriented government in the country."
Earlier, the Calcutta high court ordered the deployment of central paramilitary forces in seven sensitive districts to ensure peaceful polls. The Supreme Court too, on Tuesday, approved the same and dismissed the petitions filed by the state government and the state election commission (SEC) against the HC’s order on the same.
Around 5.67 crore voters are likely to exercise their franchise in the July 8 panchayat polls to elect nearly 75,000 candidates in zilla parishads, panchayat samiti and gram panchayats.
