War of words between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Union home minister Amit Shah escalated on Tuesday with the TMC chief alleging that Shah has been hatching a conspiracy to harass TMC leaders ahead of the Assembly polls. Banerjee also wondered whether the Election Commission is working as per Shah’s instructions.
Banerjee made the comments while addressing an election rally in West Bengal’s Mejia.
“If the BJP continues to interfere with functioning of Election Commission (EC), I will stage a protest outside the poll panel's office,” the TMC chief said.
Claiming that Shah is getting "frustrated" by the "poor turnout" at his rallies, Banerjee also alleged that the BJP is plotting conspiracies to kill her as her security director Vivek Sahay was removed by the Election Commission after she sustained injuries last week in Purba Medinipur's Nandigram.
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Referring to the "attack" on her in Nandigram, last week, Banerjee further said no one could stop her from tackling the BJP in the upcoming Assembly polls.
"Amit Shah is getting frustrated as there is a poor turnout at his rallies. Instead of running the country, he is sitting in Kolkata and hatching a conspiracy to harass TMC leaders. What do they want? Do they want to kill me? Do they think that they will win this election by killing me? They are wrong," she said while addressing a rally here.
Banerjee also wondered whether the Election Commission has lost its independence, and alleged that the poll panel is working as per Shah's instructions.
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"Is Amit Shah running the EC? He is giving instructions to the EC. What happened to their independence? My director, security (Vivek Sahay) was removed (by EC) as per his instructions," she alleged.
On Sunday, the EC had suspended director security Vivek Sahay and Purba Medinipur's superintendent of police Pravin Prakash over Banerjee’s injury.
Banerjee was injured while campaigning in Nandigram on March 10. She had suffered severe injuries in her left ankle and foot and right shoulder, forearm and neck. While Banerjee had claimed that she was “attacked” by four-five unknown persons, the EC said that the incident was caused due to lapses on part of her security personnel.
Banerjee further claimed Shah, who came back to Kolkata last night from Guwahati and held a series of meetings with the BJP's state leaders, was, "Hatching conspiracy as he has understood after witnessing poor turnout at his rallies that the saffron party is still miles away from winning the assembly elections.”
Meanwhile, the home minister had taken a dig at Banerjee on Monday by reminding her of the pain of the kin of BJP workers who were “slain by TMC goons”.
"Mamata ji has hurt her leg. But it's difficult to reach a conclusion about how it happened. Investigation is on. The TMC claims it was a conspiracy but the Election Commission says it was not 'hamla' but a 'hadsa'.
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"I wish her speedy recovery. Didi, you are hurt, you are in pain. It would have been better had you felt the pain the mothers of 130 BJP workers who were killed by TMC goons went through," Shah told a public meeting in Ranibandh in Bankura district on Monday.
The West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in eight phases from March 27 onwards, Results will be announced on May 2.
(With PTI inputs)
