My phone is being tapped, will order CID probe: Mamata

Burdwan: Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of encouraging interception of phone calls of a Chief Minister and stated that a CID probe would be initiated into the matter.

Banerjee's demand of PM's resignation comes after Modi referred to the purported audiotape of her conversation with the party's nominee from Sitalkuchi Partha Pratim Roy in his rally at Nadia on Saturday.

Stating that a CID probe will be ordered to book the culprits behind the tapping of phone calls, Banerjee said while addressing the rally at Katwa in East Burdwan: "When Prime Minister says in his public rally about the audiotape — related to the Sitalkuchi incident — people understand that he is giving encouragement to interception of phone calls for political mileage. So we have to consider that the Prime Minister has intercepted my phone calls. Don't you feel ashamed intercepting the phone call of a Chief Minister? You must resign. If you have not done it, then how can you have given a clean chit without knowing all facts related to it? You cannot interfere into one's privacy as per the Supreme Court."

"BJP has nothing to say about development. It is we who carried out the overall development of the state. They have initiated projects like 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana' in line with the 'Kanyashree' scheme. So they have no work apart from spreading personal canards against us. They are tapping our phones using their agencies," she said in reply to Modi's claim that she "stood like a wall between the Centre and the people of Bengal".

In connection with the tape, Banerjee stated that she found nothing wrong in the conversion that was released by BJP in the form of an audio clip as it was the same as the one she spoke about to the media about her proposed visit to Sitalkuchi to express her grief and to stand beside the bereaved families. Banerjee held three back-to-back rallies in East Burdwan on Saturday.

"It was not possible for me to visit the places on the same day as there was an election and I am not a local voter. But the Election Commission (EC) had imposed restrictions on the entry of any political leader to Cooch Behar for 72 hours. So what does the tape prove about Narendra Modi? I want to know from you," she said.

Giving a call to "save Bengal from the clutches of Modi and Shah", she raised her voice against the EC for increasing the silence period before the polls "just to restrict her from campaigning" as neither he nor Shah is scheduled to come to Bengal to campaign during this period.

Taking a dig at the Prime Minister accusing him of bringing in "outsiders" to Bengal that is leading to a surge in Covid cases, she said her party had suggested conducting polls of the remaining phases in one go. "But they did not agree and instead increased the silence period. Two candidates died due to Covid. It is sad. Both are winning seats for TMC," she said.

Asking Modi to apologise to the people of Bengal for misleading them by telling lies, Banerjee countered him saying that his claims of atrocities on women and no fast-track court in the state were baseless as there are 85 fast-track courts, including 45 for women, in the state. "He visits the state on election days just to spread lies. It is unfortunate how the Prime Minister of a country can spread such lies," she said.