PM says Mamata Banerjee fighting EC, not elections

Claiming that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has conceded defeat in the ongoing Assembly election in the state by going on the warpath against the Election Commission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said she was now busy fighting with the poll panel, and not with the Opposition. The PM was referring to the showcause notice issued by the poll panel to Ms Banerjee for violation of the Model Code of Conduct. “Didi has lost both her senses and her cool and conceded defeat. Now she is fighting with the EC and not with the political parties,” Mr Modi told people at an election rally in Nadia’s Krishnanagar. He also accused Ms Banerjee of misusing her government after state chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee replied to the showcause notice on her behalf.

Referring to Ms Banerjee as “Didi”, Mr Modi said, “Election Commission is an independent body. It is the duty of political parties to respect the EC as it is the duty of the players to obey umpires in a game. When the EC issued a showcause notice to you, your duty was to reply to it on your own. Instead of doing it you threatened the poll panel, saying I would see to it after May 19 (date for counting of votes).” The PM continued, “I have just heard that the chief secretary of West Bengal replied to the Election Commission’s showcause notice. If this is true, then it is wrong, because the Election Commission had issued the notice to Mamata Banerjee the TMC leader, not Mamata Banerjee the chief minister. This means you have misused the government and your power.”

Mr Modi was quick to remind her of the case of the late PM Indira Gandhi. “There shall be victory and defeat in democracy but no one should disrespect an institution. It seems that Ms Banerjee has lost her faith in democracy and democratic institutions. You must remember, Didi, Indira Gandhi lost her membership for six years for misusing the government.”

Questioning Ms Banerjee’s silence on the Narada sting operation, Mr Modi said, “The entire country had seen how Bengal’s future was sold before the camera. But you have pardoned the leaders who were seen in the video. You have taken forward the misdeeds of Left Front rule. Both Left and Didi believe in syndicate culture and the collapse of the Vivekananda flyover is the result of such a culture.”

Later, addressing an election rally at Shahid Minar ground in Kolkata, the Prime Minister accused the Congress, CPI(M) and Trinamul Congress of turning Bengal into an “old-age home”. “The Congress, CPI(M) and TMC together turned this state into an old-age home. Consecutive Bengal governments have failed to bring investment to the state and provide youths jobs. This is the reason why so many young people from Bengal move to Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur in search of jobs, leaving their parents behind,” Mr Modi lamented.