West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday directly accused the Election Commission of being influenced by the Central government. Speaking at a rally in Bankura, Mamata alleged the poll body was being influenced by Home Minister Amit Shah.
Mamata, who has been chief minister of West Bengal for 10 years, is facing arguably her toughest election challenge given the BJP's aggressive expansion in the state.
Mamata was quoted by ANI as saying, "Will HM (home minister) run the country or decide who will get arrested or beaten up, or will he decide which agency will chase whom? Who is running Election Commission? I hope it's not you, Amit Shah. We want free and fair election. He's intervening in day-to-day working of EC." Mamata declared she did not think the elections in West Bengal would be free and fair. She also repeated her allegation there was a plot to kill her.
Mamata attacked the economic policies of the Narendra Modi government. Mamata was quoted by Deccan Herald as saying, “BJP has done nothing for common people. Fuel prices have risen, LPG cost has risen. Ujjwala scheme has become horbola scheme.” “BJP leaders have no work. The farmers are protesting at Singhu, but they do not have time to discuss problems with them. All the leaders are here in Bengal. They only know politics.”
Mamata even took a jibe at Modi over the renaming of the Motera stadium after him. "Today Modi is changing the name of stadium; one day, he will name the whole country after him," Mamata was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.
The Election Commission had been heavily criticised by the Trinamool Congress after it claimed the injuries Mamata sustained following an event last week were the result of an accident. Mamata had termed the incident as a deliberate attempt on her life.
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Mamata has stepped up her attacks on the Central government and accused it of using institutions to influence voter behaviour.
On Monday, Mamata accused Central ministers, including Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, of conspiring to send "looters" from other parts of India to West Bengal by train.
Speaking at a rally in Balarampur, Mamata was quoted by The Telegraph as saying, “Some ministers, including the Railway minister, are hatching a conspiracy to loot votes in the Bengal elections... I know a high-level meeting was held to this effect. The plan is to send looters from different places in the country, who will reach Bengal in trains. The Railway minister has instructed Railway officers to organise food and place of stay for these people.”