Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused a section of the Cooch Behar district administration of having a “tacit understanding” with BJP candidate Nisith Pramanik and expressed apprehension that he would “engage” the BSF to influence the election.
Pramanik is the sitting MP of Cooch Behar and the BJP has fielded him there for the second time. Cooch Behar will go to the polls on April 19.
“The BJP candidate here is resorting to violence and yet, the administration is keeping silent. I have information and hence, let me ask them, what is the understanding all about? Is there any monetary involvement in it or do you fear that you will lose your job or the Election Commission will remove you” said Mamata, while addressing a public meeting in Dinhata in the Cooch Behar district.
She has said Pramanik has a number of criminal cases pending against him and yet, he was made the junior Union home minister.
“Those in the administration who are trying to help the BJP would better leave for Delhi or get into Nisith’s residence or else, what will they do after two months? (after the elections). They will not have to handle law and order then. Let me be very clear that if any law and order problem crops up in Cooch Behar ahead of the polls, I will not spare anyone found responsible for it,” the chief minister said.
In Cooch Behar, at least two major clashes between BJP and Trinamul workers have been reported in the presence of north Bengal development minister and Trinamul MLA Udayan Guha and Pramanik. Both sides have filed complaints with police after the incidents.
Mamata, while speaking at the meeting, asked Guha to keep cool. “You should keep your cool and be prepared to politically confront the BJP. Don’t fall in the trap or else, he might even engage BSF to conduct the votes in his favour,” she said.
Pramanik, she alleged, is involved in money laundering, cattle smuggling and other illegal activities. “On one hand, the BJP is using central agencies like the NIA and CBI to intimidate people. On the other hand, the party is fielding such persons as candidates. They should be ashamed of it,” said Mamata.
Such remarks of the chief minister made the saffron camp react.
“Mamata Banerjee has lost confidence even in the state police and the administration. Also, she has realized that Trinamul will not be able to win the Cooch Behar seat. That is why she is making such remarks. How can the BSF conduct elections? These are illogical comments,” said Biraj Bose, a district general secretary of BJP in Cooch Behar.
Mamata flags tea
Later in the day, the chief minister reached Kalchini from Dinhata to address her second public meeting.
While speaking in Kalchini, she said the BJP had not done anything for the tea industry. In Alipurduar, where elections would be held along with Cooch Behar, support of the tea population decides the results. In 2019, the BJP had won the seat.
“The Prime Minister and other BJP leaders came here in 2014 and 2019 (ahead of the general elections) and said they will reopen the closed gardens. They couldn’t manage to reopen even a single garden. We, on the other hand, have reopened as many as 59 closed gardens during our tenure,” said Mamata.
Among these include 25 tea estates in Jalpaiguri, 15 in Alipurduar, 17 in Darjeeling and one each in Kalimpong and Cooch Behar districts, she said.
She also elaborated on the state’s decision to confer land rights to tea workers. “We are also providing Rs 1.20 lakhs to each tea worker so that they can build houses on the plots for which we are providing ‘patta’ (secured land tenures),” Mamata mentioned.
In north Bengal, Trinamul is determined to secure the support of tea workers and their families.
