Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that the BJP had allegedly filed a complaint with the Election Commission so that the Trinamool Party cannot hold any meeting after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies.
Coming down heavily on the poll body for curtailing the election campaign in Bengal, Mamata called the Election Commission “brother of the BJP” and said that it — which was once an impartial body — has been “sold out to the saffron party”.
Addressing a meeting at Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas, the Bengal CM said she was not afraid of telling the truth and was even ready to go to jail for trading charges against the poll body.
Attacking PM Modi for his remark that the BJP will install the Vidyasagar statue at the same spot where it was destroyed by the TMC workers, Mamata asked, “He (PM) said he will make Vidyasagar statue. Bengal has money to make the statue.Can he give back the 200 year-old-heritage?”
She further said her party has proof that BJP workers had vandalised the bust of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and dared PM Modi to prove the allegations against TMC.
“We have proof and you say that TMC has done it. Aren’t you ashamed? He should do sit ups for lying so much. Prove allegations otherwise we will drag you to jail,” she said.
In a public event in Uttar Pradesh’s Mau, the PM earlier in the day put the blame on the TMC for the violence that hit Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata on Tuesday. It was during the violence that a bust of Vidyasagar was smashed to smithereens.
“We saw hooliganism by TMC workers again during Bhai Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata. They vandalised Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s statue. We are committed to Vidyasagar’s vision and will install his grand statue at the same spot,” the PM declared.
On Wednesday, the Election Commission invoked Article 324 and announced that no election campaigning would be held in nine parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal — Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata Uttar –from 10 pm Thursday ahead of the May 19 polls.
The decision came in the wake of simmering tension between the BJP and the TMC following the violent clashes that broke out on Tuesday during BJP National President Amit Shah’s roadshow in Kolkata.