Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused Union home minister Amit Shah of conspiring against her by misusing central agencies and meddling in the affairs of the Election Commission to harass government officials in the state.
She linked Shah’s alleged actions to the BJP’s perceived failure to get adequate crowds at the party’s campaign rallies in Bengal.
At a rally in Bankura’s Mejia, the first of her three public meetings on Tuesday, the chief minister said: “As the elections approach, the Union home minister has started his work. The home minister is orchestrating a conspiracy sitting in Calcutta. He is planning who will be grilled, who will be targeted and who will be persecuted by central agencies.”
The Trinamul Congress had trailed the BJP in all 12 Assembly segments of Bankura in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
At all three rallies Mamata warned the people against being “deceived yet again” and urged them to “save” Bengal from conspirators in the form of BJP leaders who, she alleged, would take away everything the people held dear.
The chief minister said the central government and the BJP were misusing agencies like the CBI and the ED as the turnouts at the party’s campaign rallies had been dismal.
On Monday, Shah did not attend a rally in Jhargram. A snag in the helicopter was cited as the reason. But some BJP leaders had attributed the decision to low turnout.
“Will you use your muscle power to deploy the agencies against us as people are not coming to your meetings? Will you conspire against us for the low turnouts at your events now?” she asked.
On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath attended two campaign rallies in Purulia’s Balarampur and Bankura’s Raipur, with sources in the BJP saying the turnout was “very poor”. In Bankura, people started leaving the ground even before Adityanath had finished his speech.
Mamata dwelt at length on how she believed Shah and his party were misusing central agencies. “Now they have sent a notice to the home secretary of the state. I will request the Election Commission to look into the reason why government officials are being harassed by agencies during poll time,” said Mamata.
The chief minister could be referring to an Enforcement Directorate notice to home secretary H.K. Dwivedi in connection with a case related to the sale of 45 per cent of the state government’s share in Metro Dairy at a low price. Dwivedi was the finance secretary in 2017 when the allegation of the sale at a low price was made.
Sources close to Mamata said she was livid after learning about the notice. “She said the notice had been sent just to intimidate state government officials,” said a source close to her.
During her address, Mamata accused Shah and the BJP of interfering in the affairs of the Election Commission. “With full respect to the Election Commission of India, I would like to ask who is operating the commission. Are you not, Amit Shah babu, operating the commission?” she asked.
“We want a free and fair election… but who is Amit Shah (when it comes to the conduct of polls)? Who is he to guide the Election Commission? He has been interfering in the day-to-day work of the commission,” Mamata added.
The chief minister lambasted the commission for removing Vivek Sahay, a senior IPS officer, from the post of director (security), in connection with alleged lapses in Nandigram on March 10 when she suffered an injury and needed hospitalisation. Sahay was also suspended by the poll panel.
“The person who was handling the main charge of my security was removed. What do they want? Do they want to end my life?” Mamata said.
The commission on Tuesday rejected Mamata’s written request asking for the reinstatement of Sahay.
