Salute Arun Goel for not succumbing to BJP's pressure: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata, Mar 10: A day after Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned from the post, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday lauded him for "not succumbing" to the BJP's pressure, and asserted that the saffron camp would be defeated in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Speaking at a mega rally of the TMC at Brigade Parade Grounds here, Banerjee said the sudden resignation of Goel proves that the "BJP is attempting to loot votes in the Lok Sabha polls".
"I salute Arun Goel for not succumbing to pressure by Delhi leaders (of BJP) and his top bosses in connection with the West Bengal LS polls and the deployment of forces. It is proven that what they (the BJP-led NDA government.) want to do in the name of election. They want to loot votes," she said.
Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned on Saturday, days before the expected announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His tenure was till December 5, 2027, and he would have become Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after incumbent Rajiv Kumar retired in February next year.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his allegations that central funds are being siphoned off in West Bengal, the TMC supremo said, "The PM must cross-check facts with officials before making baseless allegations against Bengal."
"He is only inaugurating projects in Bengal but not releasing funds for the state. This is his guarantee. He has made all false promises," she said.
The Trinamool Congress on Sunday announced its candidate list for the 42 Lok Sabha seats and launched its poll campaign from the grand rally at Kolkata's famed Brigade Parade Grounds.
The TMC boss iterated that her party, which is a partner of the opposition bloc INDIA, will contest the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal alone.
"We will contest the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal alone and will fight against the Congress, BJP and the CPI(M). We will also contest elections in Assam and Meghalaya. We are in talks with Akhilesh Yadav (of SP) for contesting one Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh," she said while addressing the 'Jana Garjan Sabha'.
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Bengal: Hundreds stage protest over 'threats' by TMC workers
Kolkata (PTI): Demanding safety after counting of votes, hundreds of villagers staged a protest in Falta in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, alleging they were receiving life threats from TMC workers in the area.
The protesters, many of them women and holding BJP flags, blocked the road in Hasimnagar village, alleging that local panchayat pradhan Israfil, a close associate of TMC candidate Jehangir Khan, issued them threats of attacks after poll results are announced.
The CRPF deputy commandant visited the area with a large force and assured the demonstrators of ensuring their safety.
Khan dismissed the allegations and said the women were "deployed" by the BJP to stage the demonstration and engineer the arrest of TMC functionaries in the area before the counting to "harm the morale of the TMC supporters".
"If the charges are proved, I am ready to face the law," he said.
Fatima Bibi, one of the protesters belonging to the BJP's Mahila Morcha, claimed Israfil and his men "have been visiting the area since April 30 and threatening us that there would be bloodshed from May 5. We demand CRPF remain in the area".
The CRPF official said, "We are here to instill confidence among the people with support of the local police, We have assured them of full security."
An Election Commission official said a report has been sought about the protests from the district administration.
