Mamata's massive allegations against BSF: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (June 26) alleged that the Border Security Force is ‘threatening voters’ in the bordering areas of the state not to cast their votes at the ‘behest of the saffron camp’ and asked the police to keep an eye on their moves.
Mamata, who began her campaigning for the TMC candidates in the upcoming panchayat polls today, asked people ‘not to be scared’ and participate ‘fearlessly’ in the elections.
“Law and order is a state subject, and the Centre has no role in it. I have information that some BSF officials are visiting the border areas, threatening voters and asking them not to vote. I will ask people not to be scared and fearlessly participate in the elections,” she said.
Referring to the alleged last year’s shooting of villagers by the BSF, whom the force termed as smugglers, the Chief Minister said that the police will register FIRs in such cases and the law will take its own course.
Banerjee said the party had stressed on putting up candidates with a clean record in the elections.
“We will look after the panchayats and ensure that there is no corruption at the ground level,” she said.
The BJP described the allegations of using BSF to serve its political purpose baseless.
"Such comments are unacceptable and an insult to our security forces. These remarks reflect the mindset of TMC as they have been up against the BSF since its jurisdiction was increased," BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said.
In 2021, The BJP-led Centre had amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a 50km stretch, instead of 15km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.
It had triggered massive opposition from the ruling TMC in Bengal, with the party passing a resolution in the state assembly opposing the Centre's decision.
BSF responds to allegations
The BSF came out to respond to Mamata's allegations and dubbed them as 'baseless' and 'far from the truth'.
“It is to appraise that the allegations leveled against BSF by the CM West Bengal during a rally at Cooch Behar, is totally baseless and far from the truth," the BSF Guwahati Frontier said in a statement. Cooch Behar comes under the jurisdiction of BSF's Guwahati Frontier.
"No complaint of intimidation of any person in the border area has been received so far by BSF or any other sister agency. BSF is fully committed to the peaceful and unhindered electoral process in the border and other areas," the statement added.
It also said that the BSF personnel are also being deployed for election duty, which they perform under the overall supervision of the local administration.
Mamata takes a potshot at BJP
The TMC chief said that the BJP, which emphasises on the double-engine governments in the Centre and the states, will lose the first engine in the panchayat elections and the second one in next year’s general elections.
“BJP wants to sell the country. Their double engines will soon vanish. They will lose their first engine in the Panchayat Elections of the state and the second engine in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections...We are trying to do a 'Maha Jota' (larger alliance) against BJP and it will be done soon. We will then defeat the BJP at the Centre and bring a development-oriented government in the country.”
War of words between TMC and BJP over Mamata’s rally
The opposition BJP alleged that the TMC supremo was forced to canvass for party candidates in the rural polls due to the fear of the outcomes of the elections.
BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh questioned her call to campaign for the panchayat elections, and said that it is below her political stature to campaign for the rural polls.
"When her party leaders claim that she is a potential prime ministerial candidate, it is expected that she campaigns for the Lok Sabha and the assembly elections; it seems she is worried about the outcome of the polls," Ghosh said.
Retorting to Ghosh’s jibe, TMC MP Shatabdi Roy said that Mamata is a chief minister who took the administration to the people’s doorsteps.
"It is they (BJP) who are worried that Mamata Banerjee is campaigning," she said.
West Bengal BJP President Dr Sukanta Majumdar said that Mamata campaigning for the rural polls is an ‘achievement’ for the BJP.
“After 12 years, Mamata Banerjee is coming out for a panchayat election campaign, for BJP, this is a great achievement. After 12 years, Mamata is feeling that her opposition has grown really big and strong that she herself will have to campaign..." he said.
TMC MP Saugata Roy hit back and said that the party supremo’s campaigning for the polls has nothing to do with the BJP’s strength.
“Mamata Banerjee is a committed party person. The party felt that Mamata Banerjee should address some meetings of the panchayat elections, so she started campaigning for the party. It is nothing to do with BJP's strength in West Bengal," Roy said.
(With agencies input)
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