West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday drew a parallel between arrests made by the Indira Gandhi-led Congress authorities throughout Emergency and people being made right now by the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) regime utilizing federal companies, saying each have been executed with an eye fixed on electoral beneficial properties.
Talking at a authorities occasion in Birbhum district, Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress (TMC) has already declared to go solo within the upcoming Lok Sabha polls dealing a serious blow to the opposition INDIA bloc, accused the Congress of becoming a member of palms with the BJP.
“Throughout the Emergency, 2,000 individuals have been put in jail. Indira Gandhi thought she would win the elections (in 1977), however she misplaced. Right this moment, the BJP is utilizing ED and CBI for elections,” Banerjee alleged.
Referring to a collection of high-profile arrests of TMC leaders, together with occasion’s Birbhum unit president Anubrata Mondal, by federal companies in varied instances, Banerjee mentioned: “There will be allegations however how can individuals be saved in jail 12 months after 12 months with out trial? A conspiracy has been hatched in Birbhum. Kesto (as Mondal is fondly known as) is in jail for therefore lengthy. If there may be any allegation towards him, then he has the correct to defend himself.”
Mondal was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in August 2022 in a cattle-smuggling case. His daughter was additionally arrested later and each are at the moment lodged in judicial custody in Delhi’s Tihar Jail pending trial.
The TMC chief additional mentioned: “The BJP, Congress and CPI(M) have joined palms. You noticed this within the final Lok Sabha, meeting and panchayat polls.”
Whereas the TMC swept the 2021 meeting polls and panchayat elections final 12 months, it confronted a setback within the 2019 Lok Sabha polls because the BJP wrested 18 of state’s 42 parliamentary seats.
Reacting to her feedback, state Congress chief Koustav Bagchi mentioned: “In an interview to BBC, Indira Gandhi mentioned she thought arresting these individuals was essential beneath these circumstances however later realised that it was a mistake. Mamata Banerjee ought to realise that these arrested throughout Emergency didn’t face prices of smuggling cattle, coal and rice like her leaders.”
Banerjee additionally accused the Union authorities of cancelling Aadhaar playing cards of a number of individuals in West Bengal.
“The Aadhar playing cards of fifty individuals at Jamalpur in (West) Burdwan district have been cancelled. This has occurred in Birbhum, North and South 24 Parganas districts and the north Bengal area as nicely. This can be a conspiracy,” she alleged and ordered state’s bureaucrats to launch a portal for the individuals to register complaints if their Aadhaar playing cards have been cancelled.
“The elections will likely be declared in a single month. Those that are usually not enrolled as voters should get it executed as quickly as doable. Aadhaar or no Aadhaar, none of our schemes will likely be stopped,” she mentioned.
The BJP rejected her allegations, terming them “lies”. State BJP chief Sajal Ghosh mentioned: “Mamata Banerjee is telling lies to safe votes. Aadhaar playing cards of many individuals are suspended if they don’t hyperlink it to their PAN card and replace their financial institution information.”