Reiterating that the BJP government was using the central forces to influence voters in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday, 12 May, said she feared that BJP and RSS activists have entered the state, sporting the uniform of the forces, to conduct polling.
"I do not disrespect the central forces. But they are being instructed to influence the voters. On the pretext of deploying central forces in West Bengal, the BJP is forcefully pushing BJP and RSS activists into West Bengal,” Banerjee said, while addressing a rally in Basanti area of South 24 Parganas district.
She also said that a Trinamool Congress worker was injured in firing by the central forces officers in-charge of the security of BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh, in Ghatal constituency.
"Today, there was a firing by the central forces inside a booth. I have heard that one of my brothers, belonging to the minority community, was injured," she said.
Banerjee also alleged that central forces personnel were asking voters standing in queues to exercise their franchise in favour of the saffron party.
"How can they do that? Is this the job of the central forces – to ask voters to cast votes for the BJP? A few retired officers are being used by the Modi government to conduct polling in Bengal and they are doing whatever they feel like," Banerjee said.
"You should be ashamed of doing this (asking people to vote for Modi)... You are here to do a job. Today, you are under Modi, tomorrow you will be under somebody else. Then what will you do?" she said.
In Sunday's sixth phase of polling, in eight Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal, around 770 companies of central forces were deployed to ensure free and fair elections.
(Published in arrangement with PTI)
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