Central forces helping BJP under instructions from Amit Shah: Mamata

PTI, Apr 1, 2021, 6:35 PM IST

Nandigram: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the central forces deployed in her Nandigram constituency of helping the BJP under instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

She also alleged Election Commission was following the instructions of Shah and not acting on complaints of alleged irregularities lodged by her party.

Despite sporadic violence and accusations of vote fraud in Nandigram, the TMC supremo said she was confident of victory from the constituency where she had a decade-and-half ago led a farmers” movement against a chemical hub planned by the then Left Front government.

“The CRPF, BSF are acting under the instructions of Home Minister Amit Shah….they are only helping the BJP,” she told reporters outside a polling station in Nandigram constituency.

She demanded that Shah, who had earlier campaigned for Suvendu Adhikari, her rival in Nandigram, must “control the BJP goons brought from outside”.

“This is shameful. The people will give them a befitting reply. The way even women journalists have been heckled is disgraceful,” she said.

Banerjee also slammed the Election Commission for “inaction” despite her party lodging several complaints and threatened to move the law courts over it.

“We have lodged 63 complaints since morning. But no action has been taken. We will move the court over it. This is unacceptable,” the chief minister said seated, in a wheelchair outside booth 7 in Boyal in Nandigram.

“The EC is working on the instructions of Amit Shah,” she alleged.

“Goons from other states are creating ruckus here,” she added.

The chief minister, however, said she is more worried about the fate of democracy given the use of money and muscle power than her personal victory.

“I am not worried about Nandigram, I am confident of victory. (But) I am worried about democracy,” Banerjee said as she showed the ”V” for victory sign to a gaggle of press photographers.

The feisty TMC boss said she would win a majority of the 60 seats that had gone to polls in the first and second phase.

Banerjee is battling her former lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari, who has crossed over to the BJP for the prestigious Nandigram constituency.