New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused NIA officials of assaulting villagers in Bhupatinagar, East Midnapore district. CM Banerjee claimed that the alleged attack stemmed from a visit by the probe agency to villagers' homes in connection with a 2022 incident involving the bursting of crackers. Speaking at an election rally in Balurghat, South Dinajpur district, CM Banerjee said that the attack was not carried out by women of Bhupatinagar, it was by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
"Will the women sit back if they are attacked?", PTI quoted CM Mamata as saying. She further added that they had only protested after NIA officials went to some of their houses over the December 2022 incident.
According to a police report, a vehicle carrying NIA officials was targeted by villagers in Bhupatinagar on Saturday. The officials had gone to investigate a bomb blast case from 2022, in which three persons were killed before the investigation was transferred to the NIA. Following the arrest of two individuals in connection to the case, the NIA team encountered hostility while returning to Kolkata, as their vehicle was attacked. Subsequently, the NIA team filed a complaint at the Bhupatinagar police station regarding the incident, an official said.
CM Mamata Banerjee Slams Election Commission Of India
Banerjee alleged a political motive in the NIA's actions and accused the agency of attempting to intimidate Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers. She questioned the timing of the arrests, just days before the polls, in a case dating back to December 2022.
The TMC chief accused the BJP government at the Centre of using central agencies to influence the elections, stating, "We want the Election Commission to work impartially, not turn into a BJP-run commission."
She also questioned the EC's decision to transfer state police officers while highlighting the absence of changes in officers from agencies such as the ED, CBI, and IT. Alleging close affiliations between the BJP and agencies like the NIA and CBI, the Bengal CM accused the ED and IT departments of favoring the BJP's interests, as per PTI's report.
"Don't arrest my booth-level workers and election agents", she said at the rally.
CM Banerjee further condemned the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren by central agencies, emphasising, "There must be a level-playing field in the elections".
CM Mamata Banerjee Defends Refusal To Ayushman Bharat Scheme In Bengal
The Chief Minister defended her decision not to introduce the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Bengal, stating that her government's 'Sasthya Sathi' programme already provided healthcare facilities to nine crore people. She highlighted various schemes introduced by her government, including Kanyashree, Sikshasree, agricultural produce insurance, and old age pension.
"The guarantee of Ma, Maati, Manush is Lakshmir Bhandar, Kanyashree, Sabuj Sathi and Sasthya Sathi schemes," she said, as quoted by PTI.
Banerjee also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal guarantees, stating that her guarantee is the people and the various welfare schemes implemented by her administration.
She announced her administration's proposal to construct 5,000 houses for storm-hit people in Jalpaiguri district, awaiting clearance from the Election Commission, and remarked, "But they are waiting for Modi babu to come and give his nod and only after that they will give clearance."
She addressed issues of unrest in Sandeshkhali over land grab issues, stating that the state police and administration are taking action against the accused and returning land to the villagers.
Banerjee accused BJP's West Bengal state president Sukanta Majumdar of not working for the people of Bengal and criticised his statements against releasing central funds to the state. She also accused BJP candidates of being involved in atrocities against women in BJP-ruled states.