CM Mamata Banerjee Stirs Fresh Row, Alleges EC ‘Directly Helped’ BJP In West Bengal Assembly Polls

Kolkata: Stirring up a major controversy on the first day of the West Bengal Assembly session after returning to power for the third consecutive term, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that the Election Commission of India directly helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the recently-concluded elections.

Speaking on the floor of the West Bengal Assembly where TMC leader Biman Banerjee was elected the Speaker for the third straight term, Banerjee said “rigging took place in some places under the watch of the poll panel” in the assembly elections in which her party cruised to a landslide victory.

“I can challenge that had the Election Commission not helped them (BJP) directly, they would not have won even 30 seats. In this election, rigging took place in some places under the watch of the poll panel. There should be electoral reforms made immediately, else the democratic fabric of the country will be jeopardized,” IANS quoted her as saying.

READ: Suspense Over Choice Of Assam CM Likely To End In BJP Meeting Tomorrow, Hints Himanta Biswa Sarma

The TMC chief also alleged the BJP was inciting violence in the state as the saffron brigade “cannot accept the mandate of the common man”.

“For the last six months, they have not done anything but pushing the country to the brink of destruction. They had only one target and that was to capture Bengal and now they (BJP) cannot accept the mandate of the common man. So, they are trying to incite violence in the state and are posting fake videos,” she said.

Banerjee also directed the state administration to take stern action against anyone trying to fan communal tension in West Bengal.

“Do not compromise, take stern action against people talking on communal lines as per the law, be it me or anyone else,” she said.

Lambasting Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for doing on work in the last six months, the TMC chief said the leaders of the ruling dispensation at the Centre travelled to the state every day in their bid to capture West Bengal, thus pushing the nation to the “threshold of Covid-19 destruction”.

“To set up a double-engine, they pushed India to the threshold of Covid-19 destruction. In the last six months, the Central government did no work, but came to Bengal every day to capture it,” she said.

The Chief Minister added the central forces are roaming around in the state without undergoing any RT-PCR tests, thus spreading the infection.

Reiterating her demand for universal vaccination, Banerjee said that it should have been the Centre’s priority but instead, the government is spending Rs 50,000 crore on the new Parliament building, PM’s residence and statues among others.

The opposition BJP MLAs boycotted the proceedings of the House protesting against the killing of their party workers in the post-poll violence.