Mamata Banerjee on Sunday accused the BJP of running a parallel administration in Bengal by sending retired officers from Delhi to help the party win poll.

The chief minister’s comments have come a day after special observer Ajay V. Naik alleged the situation in Bengal at present was similar to that of Bihar “10-15 years ago”.

Addressing an election rally in Nadia’s Gayeshpur, the Trinamul Congress supremo alleged that the retired officers had been “abusing Bengal and humiliating its officers by removing them as per their whims with an agenda to help the BJP”.

Trinamul has already lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Naik, accusing him of being politically biased and demanding his removal.

Without naming the BJP, Mamata said: “I am very sorry to say that though a democratically elected government is in the state, a party is running a parallel administration by sending its men from Delhi. This has never happened. This is unholy, unconstitutional and not feasible within the federal set up.”

She went on: “They (retired officers) are changing our officers every day. They are saying what they like. They are abusing Bengal, comparing Bengal with Bihar and making political statements.”

“I respect retired officers. But how can you (retired officers) abuse our officers in service. People of Bengal will not tolerate this. You can go to any extent. You can even bring in five crore policemen from Delhi, but at the end, you will get zero in Bengal,” she added.

Accusing the BJP of misleading people with an aim to win the polls by deploying central forces, the chief minister said the paramilitary personnel had been deployed at all polling stations in 2016.

“But the result was in our favour. The central forces cannot help you win the polls. It is the mandate of the people that wins the polls ultimately. They will decide whom they would support, not the police.”

She said the BJP’s “ploy” to create a division in the society would end with the current elections. “You cannot tell us what to eat, what to wear, where to study — we all have the freedom to choose. The BJP is a party of liars. And they know only about money and try to influence people with that,” Mamata said.

Addressing another rally at Habibpur in Ranaghat, which has a sizeable Christian population, Mamata Banerjee condemned the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka that killed over 200 people at churches and hotels. She conveyed her deep condolence to those who were killed.

“I covey my greetings to you all. Today, many people were killed in bomb blasts at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka. I express my deep condolence to the bereaved family members. Many churches were destroyed. There are many churches in Ranaghat and Krishnagar. I convey my deep regards to the fathers and sisters of these churches,” she said.

At the Gayeshpur meeting, Mamata said neither the BJP nor the Congress would form the government at the Centre. “There’s no chance of the BJP winning the elections. All calculations point towards this. Neither the BJP nor the Congress will form the next government. All regional parties will come together to form a government for which we have formed the United India Front.”