Even as curtains came down on the high decibel campaign for the 30 Assembly seats going to polls in the first phase of Bengal elections both the BJP and Trinamool Congress on Thursday went all out against each other claiming the State would collapse if their rivals came to power.
While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attacked the BJP for splurging money and using muscle power to win the State polls and asked the people to remain on guard against the saffron outfits alleged nefarious designs, Home Minister led his party’s campaign rolling out a long list of promises for the Jangalmahal area.
Thirty seats spread across tribal-dominated of Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Purba Medinipur (Part 1) and Paschim Medinipur (Part 1) districts once considered the citadel of the Left will go to polls on March 27.
“I have definite information that the BJP is spending money and pushing in criminals from other States … so you will have to remain vigilant against their dirty designs,” Banerjee told two rallies in Jangalmahal.
“Be prepared with your kitchen tools to repulse any outsider raid on your voting rights … do check and recheck the EVMs (electronic voting machines) and do turn up early in the morning to cast your votes,” the Chief Minister said alleging the BJP was “using all the dirty tricks in its kitty to throw me out of power.”
She said “first I was given an injury to stop me from campaigning … but I am made of different metal … I can play with one leg and kick many goals … then they are using the central forces to dominate the voters… they are also splurging money to purchase votes besides bringing in criminals from other States to rig elections … but be prepared with your rolling pins and other kitchen tools to repulse the outsider criminals…We have specific information about people being brought from Odisha to loot votes.”
Earlier she said that the criminals and police forces from the BJP ruled States like UP were being imported to loot votes.
Alleging that the BJP had tacit understanding with the Indian Secular Front --- the newly floated party by a Muslim cleric Abbas Siddique that was jointly contesting with the Left and the Congress --- Banerjee said “the minorities will have to remain alert about a new party that has emerged in the scene with tacit backing of the BJP so that it can eat into the minority votes.”
Attacking the BJP for forcing making plans to victimize the citizens of India she said “if the BJP comes they will introduce CAA and NPR but we will never allow these to happen in Bengal … Remember if BJP comes there will be apocalypse. So stop them here and now.”
Earlier from a rally at Jhargram Shah had said that if BJP came to power infiltration would be stopped. “Let the BJP come to power there will be no infiltration in Bengal so that your food, your jobs and your business is eaten away by the foreigners … let alone foreigners not a bird will b e allowed to enter Bengal,” he said “there is an opportunity” and the the people would have to choose between Vikas (development) and Vinash (destruction).