Slamming the BJP for urging the poll panel to declare West Bengal "super sensitive state", Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday, 13 March, alleged the saffron party was trying to hide behind central forces as it can't win any seat in the state.
The BJP has urged the Election Commission to declare West Bengal "super sensitive state" to ensure fair Lok Sabha polls and demanded that central forces be deployed at all polling stations in the state.
The BJP has urged the Election Commission to declare West Bengal “super sensitive state” to ensure fair Lok Sabha polls and demanded that Central Forces be deployed at all polling stations in the state.Mamata Banerjee
Advising the BJP, mockingly though, to deploy one para-military personnel behind every voter, she said that even then the TMC will emerge victorious in all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
“How are they preparing the list of sensitive booths? Since we are fighting (BJP president) Amit Shah and (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, Bengal is being targeted. The Election Commission should act impartially,” the Trinamool Congress chief said.
BJP Trying to Control National Media: Mamata Banerjee
On BJP's demand that a media observer be appointed for Bengal, Banerjee alleged it is the saffron party that is trying to control the media at the national level.
"Never ever has the TMC tried to control the media. The media is free and fair in Bengal. The demand for appointing a media observer is actually an insult to the people of the state," she said.
The BJP is spreading fake news in the state and across the country, the chief minister alleged.
Declare Bengal Super Sensitive State For Fair Polls: BJP to EC
A delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, 13 March, met Election Commission (EC) officials, urging them to declare West Bengal a “super sensitive state” to ensure a fair Lok Sabha election.
Addressing media outside the EC office in Delhi, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the delegation put forth certain demands, including freedom of press and deployment of central forces in the state.
The delegation included Prasad, Nirmala Sitharaman, Kailash Vijaywargiyya, Mukul Roy and JP Nadda.
“On behalf of the party, we told the EC that Bengal is that state of the country where at least 100 people have died during the local body and panchayat polls. The winning candidates aren’t allowed to enter the state, officers sit on a dharna with the chief minister, the helicopter of the ruling party President Amit Shah isn’t allowed to land, other CM’s helicopters are also not allowed to land. That is why, we have demanded that the state of West Bengal be declared super sensitive,” said Prasad.
He further said that the delegation requested EC to remove officers whose electoral impartiality is questionable and central forces should be deployed at all polling booths.
“We have also given names of some officers whose impartiality is questionable. We have requested such officers to be removed from electoral posts. Most importantly, central forces must be deployed at all polling booths as the local police acts as TMC workers,” Prasad said.
“All deployment should be done under the supervision of the central observer. The media is not free either. The media should be freely available to everybody because it is important for democracy. We urged that the EC deploys a media observer as well,” the BJP leader said.
Prasad also alleged that Opposition parties in the state are not allowed to use loudspeakers for election campaigning under the pretext of a 1986 circular.
“There is a 1986 circular that loudspeakers cannot be used near schools and religious institutions. We don’t have an objection near exam centres. But exams are getting over in March. However, the circular is being used to stop election campaigning and that is unfortunate,” he said.
Prasad also said that the BJP delegation also complained to the EC against Congress President Rahul Gandhi for allegedly breaking the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
“We have also complained to the EC against Rahul Gandhi. The Model Code of Conduct clearly states that no leader should make unverified allegations against anybody. But the way Rahul Gandhi made allegations against the PM yesterday, saying ‘whose pockets were filled with public money.’ There can be nothing shameful than that. We have told the EC that action should be taken against Rahul Gandhi under the MCC,” he said.
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