The second phase of the West Bengal assembly elections ended yesterday but not without its fair share of controversies. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee once again lost her composure as she denigrated the common folks from UP and Bihar by calling them ‘imported goons’ of the BJP. While speaking to the media from Nandigram, Banerjee accused that the BJP brought ‘goons from other states like UP and Bihar’ for poll violence in Nandigram. She also called Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar to complain against the violence urging him to control the situation in the state.
The TMC supremo made the remarks after she pushed her way through to one of the poll booths and sat there, making a mockery of the Election Commission poll guidelines. Enraged that Mamata had seized control of the booth, several locals converged around and started chanting the slogan “Jai Shree Ram’ which, as we have come to believe, is not exactly music to Mamata’s ears.
Just the way the CM had reacted when she shared the stage with PM Narendra Modi and heard the ‘Jai Shree Ram’ chants, a furious Mamata lashed out at EC as well as the BJP. The TMC supremo trained guns at Union home minister saying he was instructing central forces to assist “BJP goons.”
“Home Minister himself is instructing CRPF, BSF and other jawans to help only BJP and its goons. I apologise to my Election Commission for their silence. We have given so many letters but they are one-sidedly supporting BJP candidates,” she was quoted as saying. Banerjee claimed that 63 complaints regarding booth capturing have been sent to the EC and slammed the poll body for “inaction.”
However, the truth is, Mamata is not agitated because the locals came out and forced her to vacate the poll booth by chanting Jai Shree Ram slogans. She is livid because the deployment of Central armed forces has stopped the TMC goons from creating the mayhem they usually do — case in point being the 2018 Panchayat polls.
TMC seems rattled that it has not been able to fashion ruckus and obstacles in the electoral process. TMC’s gameplan of storming into the power involved booth capturing, bombing the opposition and rigging the elections. However, anticipating such antics, the EC had deployed central forces in numbers in the state and now ‘Didi’ is so agitated that she has turned to retch threatening remarks.
Reported previously by TFI, Mamata had remarked that her TMC goons will level the playing field — meaning take revenge, once the election officials and the Central armed forces leave the state.
“I keep knowledge of every inch of the elections. After the election, the security personnel sent by the central government will go back, but if our government is formed then the BJP supporters will plead with folded hands for the central security forces to be stationed for a few more days so that they (BJP supporters) could be saved,” Mamata had said.
While the majority of the TMC goons had to retreat during Election Day, a sizeable minority did manage to do what they do best, i.e. go on a violent rampage.
According to media reports, earlier in the morning yesterday, Suvendu Adhikari’s convoy was allegedly attacked with stones at two places while visiting booths in the assembly constituency. It is being reported that Adhikari’s motorcade was also gheraoed as TMC supporters shouted slogans against the BJP leader.
Vehicles in the convoy were pelted with stones and a few media persons were injured as well. Accusing Mamata Banerjee’s supporters of carrying out the attack, Suvendu Adhikari said, “People of one community, illiterate, are doing this after being incited by Mamata Banerjee.”
Moreover, just before the voting commenced in the constituency, news came in from the Bhekutia area of Nandigram that one BJP worker named Uday Dubey was found hanging at his home. It is being alleged that Dubey was under tremendous stress as he was receiving threats from the TMC after he attended the recent roadshow of superstar Mithun Chakraborty. Meanwhile, BJP has claimed that Dubey could also have been hanged by TMC goons.
Thus, it is safe to assume that Mamata was not concerned about BJP miraculously importing goons from UP or Bihar. She was more concerned with the fact that her homegrown TMC goons were sitting idle for the major part of the day. Didi wanted more of such attacks that her goons undertook on Adhikari’s convoy but not able to hear news of any ruckus — Mamata lost her wits.