Mamata Banerjee on Monday threatened to launch a hunger strike in front of the headquarters of the Election Commission in New Delhi in protest against the transfer of senior police officers from different posts in a “selective” manner by the panel.

At a public meeting in Birpara, Alipurduar district, the chief minister said: “The Election Commission has transferred the DIG (deputy inspector general of police) of Murshidabad. Such selective transfers of (police) officers are being done at the behest
of the BJP. If I can observe a fast for 26 days in Singur, I can also sit on a 52-day-long hunger strike in front of your office in protest.”

In 2006, Mamata had launched a hunger strike to oppose the proposed motor plant of Tata Motors at Singur.

Ever since the general election was declared this year, the EC has removed three senior police officers from their posts so that they cannot discharge duties related to the polls.

The three were director general of police Rajeev Kumar, the deputy commissioner, south-west Calcutta, Soumya Roy, and Mukesh, the DIG of Murshidabad range, who was removed on Monday.

Last week, a delegation of Trinamul Congress leaders had been to the EC’s headquarters in Delhi, demanding the transfer of the chiefs of the NIA, ED and the CBI. They also launched a “dharna” outside Nirvachan Sadan, the EC headquarters, on the same demand and were later detained by Delhi police.

Mamata said if any communal unrest took place after the DIG’s transfer, “the EC will be responsible”.

Two districts — Murshidabad and Nadia — and four police districts, Jangipur, Murshidabad, Krishnanagar and Ranaghat, come under the jurisdiction of the DIG of Murshidabad range.

Speaking at a public meeting on the Raasmela Ground in Cooch Behar earlier on Monday, Mamata accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being biased against Bengal.

“You had sent 300 teams (to probe the alleged corruption in the implementation of central schemes)… but they didn’t find anything? Why didn’t you release the funds then? I dare you to publish a white paper to prove your point that there has been corruption in Bengal in these schemes,” she said.

The Centre should publish similar documents about BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, she said.