BJP tinkering with EVMs: Mamata
Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cracked the whip against indiscipline and warned her party leaders saying that those who undermine the party may leave. In the same breath, she called the BJP a "militant organisation," engaged in dividing people along religious lines and dared it to attack her party.
Banerjee also alleged that the BJP is manipulating EVMs to increase its vote share in the states and urged her party workers to prepare for the next Lok Sabha polls as the entire country is looking forward to it.
Reaching out to the TMC old-timers, Banerjee said the party was able to achieve its position because of their battle against the CPI-M's misrule during the Left Front's 34-year-long regime in the state.
"I feel proud about the sacrifices made by the old-timers of our party. In some cases, the old-timers were not given tickets, despite my instructions to the contrary. This is completely wrong. Those old-timers, who were not given tickets, should be called back to the party and given due respect," she added.
Banerjee's message to the youth leadership came in the wake of some recent complaints from the senior district leadership that the youth wing of the party often ignore them and do things as per their own liking.
In a clear indication that she is concerned over the infighting in some institutions over student admission, she maintained: "I am telling the youth leadership that student politics is about extending help to the students and not about extorting money from them. You cannot become a leader overnight. You have to climb the ladder gradually."
Referring to reports of clashes between the members of the TMC and its youth wing, she said: "This too will not be tolerated. The Trinamool Youth Congress should keep it in mind that the TMC is the mother party and it is one of its arms."
Lashing out at the BJP, she said: "They are threatening to carry out encounters. Just because they are in power in Delhi, they are talking about hurling bombs. I dare them to come and touch us. We will show them their place."
She further added: "We are not a militant organisation like the BJP. They are arrogant and intolerant. They are religiously biased. They don't like Muslims, Christians, Sikhs — they are even differentiating between the upper caste and the lower caste Hindus."
The Chief Minister also slammed a section of the party workers in the tribal Jangalmahal area of remaining inactive during last month's Panchayat polls, which she said had led to the TMC's defeat in some of the seats.
"We had formed the party (TMC) after years of struggle. We have come to power with the people's support. If some (party cadre) think they are bigger than the party, the doors are open for them to leave. Only Mamata Banerjee will work and others will enjoy the fruits of being in power — that cannot be the way," Banerjee told a meeting of the party's extended core committee at Netaji Indoor Stadium.
Stating that some in the party did not work "properly", she said: "Nobody should think that they are above the party. You should remember that two ministers have recently resigned for the party's poor performance in the Panchayat polls."
On June 5, Tribal Development minister James Kujur and Backward Class Development minister Churamani Mahato had resigned from their posts.
Banerjee's comments come in the backdrop of the BJP increasing its vote-share in the rural polls in the Jangalmahal area, particularly in Purulia and Jhargram.
The Chief Minister further said that she will herself oversee Jhargram district in which the performance of the party has not been satisfactory. She instructed Aroop Biswas to oversee Jadavpur that the party had lost in the 2016 Assembly elections. CPI(M)'s Sujan Chakraborty had defeated the then state Power minister Manish Gupta there.
Apart from all the ministers, MPs, MLAs and district leaders, all those candidates who had won at the Gram Panchayats, Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samiti seats were also present.
