launching scathing attack against the Congress, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday dared Delhi to slap Central rule in her State and “then we will see what we can do.”
Blaming the Congress for not allowing her Government to work peacefully Banerjee who was addressing a massive election rally at Bally in Howrah said, “the Congress is using its power in the Centre to continuously trying to bulldoze us on this issue or that so that we cannot perform our job properly but we will not tolerate this for long.”
Howrah is going to lok Sabha by-elections early next month. The seat fell vacant after sitting Trinamool MP Ambika Banerjee passed away.
“The Congress has teamed up with the CPI(M) and are trying to destabilise us but we challenge them to use Article 355 or 356 and then we will see and show them what we are capable of.” Banerjee thundered in her late evening rally in an apparent bid to counter her predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee charges accusing BJP and Trinamool Congress of making clandestine arrangements ahead of 2014 general elections.
“The Congress Government is trying to use its agencies like CBI and Income Tax Department against us but we are prepared for everything and dare them to do whatever they can” she said.
“Even when we were with the UPA-II the Congress had set its Income Tax Department after our MPs” Banerjee said. “I had even raised this issue with the Prime Minister when they got the I-T sleuths to prepare files against the 19 Trinamool MPs,” the Chief Minister, who was currently under intense pressure from the Opposition on a host of issues like the Saradha scam, falling law and order situation etc said.
SEC notifies panchayat polls
Kolkata: After much ado the West Bengal State Election Commission on Monday notified the date for the first phase of three-phased panchayat elections in the State. The first phase of the three-tier panchayat elections would be held on July 2. Second and third phases would be held on July 6 and 9.
While nine districts would go to polls on July 2, elections would be held in four districts each in the remaining two phases. Notwithstanding the declaration by the SEC its discord with the State Government on force arrangements continued to even as Election Commissioner Mira Pande said the Government had not yet responded to the Commission’s letter on requirement of forces.
Reluctant to take risks after the Chhattisgarh incident the Commission was all the more weary of holding elections with inadequate forces in the three Maoist-hit districts of Bengal.
The State currently has “sparable force” of 40,000 while as per High Court directives it needs at least 70,000 personnel. The Government has not been able to manage the required force till date, “at least we do not have such information” a senior SEC official said. The two sides had come to loggerheads over the issue as the Commission demanded Central forces while the State said its own forces would suffice in holding the polls. Finally the issue was settled by a court directive.
“I am currently acting as per court orders” Pande said refusing to divulge as to what she would do if the Government failed to manage the required forces from the other States. PNS