Rigging won't help BJP, TMC will retain power: Mamata

Kolkata: Claiming that the saffron party wouldn't be benefitted by rigging of votes at a few booths using the Central forces, Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said her party would retain power in the state with a landslide victory in most of the constituencies, which went to polls during the sixth phase.

"I am throwing an open challenge. BJP can never come to power in Bengal. They cannot win the election just by rigging some seats using the Central force. Today (April 22), elections are going on for 43 seats. They will get four to five seats (in this phase) at the most. The remaining seats will be bagged by TMC," Banerjee said, while taking a dig at outgoing BJP MP from Asansol and party's Tollygunge candidate Babul Supriyo.

Banerjee alleged that SPs and DMs of several districts were changed to help the saffron party, which placed "its own people." "But, all these will not help BJP in any way as people will cast votes in favour of development and avenge the bullets (reference to the Sitalkuchi firing) with ballots," she added.

Without naming Supriyo, Banerjee said: "I have never come across any artiste who lies so much. The people of Tollygunge are now mocking him for having fled from Asansol to contest from Tollygunge. Moreover, the condition of a political party is revealed when they field a MP for an Assembly election. He may next contest civic and Panchayat polls as well." Banerjee was addressing the public meeting in Hindi to campaign for her party's candidates Moloy Ghatak (Asansol Uttar Assembly Constituency) and Bidhan Upadhyay (Barabani Assembly constituency).

BJP bagged the Asansol Lok Sabha seat for two consecutive terms.

In this connection, Banerjee urged people not to cast votes in favour of BJP any more as they had fled without undertaking any development work in the region. "We do the work for development. Then, why should they get the votes? Asansol is called mini-India as people from every part of the country reside here. So, I would urge people of all religions, caste and creed to cast your votes unitedly in favour of TMC," she said.

She further urged the Hindi-speaking populace not to consider themselves as supporters of BJP. "If it is so, then BJP would have formed a government in Delhi as well. All have to get united to fight against the anti-people activities of the saffron camp," she said.

Training guns at the saffron party, Banerjee alleged that while her party emphasised on development the BJP spread 'the venom of riot.' "The Prime Minister instigated riot in his address here. It neither suits a Prime Minister nor the Union Home Minister to instigate riot. They do not know anything about the place. But, I would like to recollect the incident, in which the son of an Imam was killed here. The Imam had urged people to maintain peace and also to assure that there should not be anymore killing to avenge his son's death," she said, while highlighting details of the development work carried out by her government in Asansol and its adjacent areas.

Under the Mamata Banerjee government, industrial estates and IT parks were set up in Asansol and basic amenities were upgraded.

Taking a swipe at the Election Commission for not clubbing the last two phases of the election into one amid the surge in cases, Banerjee said the Calcutta High Court also directed the EC to execute their duty properly.

Mamata Banerjee on Thursday addressed public meetings at Tapan in South Dianjpur, Ratua and Habibpur in Malda and Asansol Uttar in West Burdwan.