Mamata Banerjee on Sunday accused the Border Security Force (BSF) of “campaigning” for the BJP in villages bordering Bangladesh and threatening the residents with “dire consequences” if they do not vote for the saffron party.

“I have received a specific complaint from a villager living in a bordering village... He told me that a group of four-five BSF personnel from a nearby camp walked into their village and told villagers that they should vote for the BJP. They were carrying guns and sticks... As the villagers objected to their conduct, they assaulted the villagers and threatened them that they would be gunned down if they didn’t vote for the BJP,” Mamata said while addressing a public meeting at the Town Club Ground in Balurghat.

In north Bengal, South Dinajpur is one of the six (of eight) districts that share borders with Bangladesh. Balurghat is the the district headquarters of South Dinajpur.

In the past few years — especially after the Centre increased the BSF’s jurisdiction from 15km to 50km within the Indian mainland from the zero line in some bordering states, including Bengal — the central paramilitary force has come in the line of Mamata’s fire several times.

The Trinamool supremo, who launched her campaign for the ongoing general elections on April 4, has repeatedly accused the BSF of high-handed conduct at the borders and shooting villagers without provocation. However, this is the first time she has accused it of trying to influence voters.

“I have never heard of a central force… they are central government employees… directly telling people to vote for a particular political party. It is abominable and the election commission should take steps against such acts,” Mamata said while asking the TMC nominee from Balurghat Biplab Mitra and state education minister Bratya Basu, who were on the dais, to file a complaint against the BSF with the Election Commission of India.

She also took on the central force for its alleged involvement in cross-border smuggling. “Cattle heads reach Bengal from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and are smuggled to Bangladesh. The BSF is in cahoots with the smugglers. We also want to know how many drug mafias they have arrested at the border. On the other hand, the BJP leaders in Delhi accuse the state government and the party. This cannot go on. We want them (BSF) to protect the nation but they should not get into illegal activities,” said Mamata.

In Bengal, elections are due in 39 Lok Sabha constituencies, including seats that share borders with Bangladesh. Bengal shares around 2,217km border with the neighbouring country.

“A considerable section of the residents of border villages have issues with the BSF and they often accuse them of high-handed behaviour. It is evident that Mamata Banerjee wants to reap political dividend by stoking the sentiments of these voters who are mostly from the minority community,” a political analyst said.

In the course of her speech, the chief minister also alleged that the BSF had tried to stop some voters from turning up at the polling booths in Cooch Behar, another bordering district.

“Nobody can stop you from voting. If they (BSF) try to stop you, inform our leaders who in turn will inform the administration to ensure that you reach the booth and return to your home safely,” said Mamata in Balurghat.

In 2019, BJP state chief Sukanta Majumdar had won Balurghat with a margin of around 33,000 votes. The BJP has fielded him for the second time.