Soon after the 24-hour ban on her election campaigns ended at 8 pm on Tuesday, Bengal Chief Minister hit out at the Central Government and the Election Commission for discriminating between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress insofar as their rights to campaign was concerned.
Attacking the BJP, she said, “They have controlled all the agencies and are trying now to stop me from reaching out to the electorate.”
In an apparent reference to the Commission, Mamata, who was addressing an election rally at Barasat in the northern fringes of Kolkata, asked, “Why there is a bid to stop me only and why the BJP is not being stopped.”
Saying that she was not the kind of person to get intimidated by such actions (banning from campaigns) Mamata said, “I am not the one who will run back to safety of home … I will hit back if I am hit at.”
Alleging that there was a bid to make Bengal a Gujarat of sorts, she said, “I will never allow Bengal to be made a Gujarat … Bengal will remain what it is.”
Amid criticism of the poll body by the TMC for allegedly acting tough on the TMC leaders and going soft on the BJP rabble rousers, the Election Commission banned former Bengal BJP president Rahul Sinha — who is contesting on a BJP ticket from Habra in North 24 Parganas for 48 hours — from campaigning for making inflammatory speeches regarding the Sitalkuchi police firing in which four persons were killed.
The ECI banned Sinha till Thursday 12 pm, after “strongly condemning” his inflammatory statements. It “sternly warned him to be careful from such statements while making public utterances” during the election. Sinha had earlier told that the CPF “should have shot dead not four but eight people” in Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar because “such terrorists deserve to be killed like that.”
The ECI also slapped a notice on Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh for making “objectionable statements.” He has been asked to explain his conduct by Wednesday. Referring to the Sitakluchi incident Ghosh had said “if the naughty boys do not behave then more Sitalkuchis would take place.”
Earlier, Mamata staged a protest against what she called “undemocratic decision” of the Election Commission to ban her from campaigning.
Despite being banned for campaigning, Mamata stole the limelight when she went for a three-hour sit-in demonstration at the Mahatma Gandhi statue from 12 pm on Tuesday.
She sat in her trade mark wheel-chair with a small folding table which she used for painting. There were no TMC leaders to be seen around the Chief Minister save her security persons and a few hundred onlookers who watched her draw sketches till 3 pm after which she withdrew her protest.
Mamata, who missed out on at least three mega rallies on Tuesday ahead of the crucial fifth phase polling on Saturday, made up for the loss of time by cramming in two public meetings at Barasat and Bidhannagar on Tuesday late evening just after the ban ended.
On Wednesday, Mamata will visit Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar where four people had died in Central forces firing on April 10.
Earlier the ECI in a five-page order had banned her from campaigning for violation of the provisions of Model Code of Conduct. Sections 123(3) and (3A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 were applied against her.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Chief Minister for “talking nonsense” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying what she had been doing of late was unbecoming of her conduct as a Chief Minister.
Singh, who is known to enjoy a good chemistry with Mamata, said in his meeting at Swaroop Nagar in North 24 Parganas, “I have also been a Chief Minister and I know how a CM should behave … You have not been behaving like a Chief Minister should do … you have been talking nonsense about our Prime Minister… it is strange that you blame him for everything.”
