West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in an explosive claim has alleged that the Election Commission observers and some police observers have been conspiring to arrest booth level TMC workers during the polling day and as “evidence” showed purportedly leaked Whatsappchats between them giving certain instructions.
At a press conference in Gitanjali Auditorium in Bolpur today, Miss Banerjee announced that after the Assembly polls are over she will move the Supreme Court on this issue demanding a neutral role of the election commission and holding transparent elections and will submit the alleged leaked whatsapp chats as evidence.
“In the whatsapp chat there’s mention about a plan being discussed and directed to the DMs and SPs. What is the plan? To arrest booth level workers. Some DMs and SPs are not working neutrally and they should now be careful,” she said.
The CM also claimed that some BJP leaders have leaked the whatsapp chat. Transcripts of the purported whatsapp chat were made available to the media and had mention of “TMC goondas” and ‘trouble monger’ etc.
“I have been constantly claiming that the EC is biased and has been functioning on the instructions of the BJP. The BJP wanted eight phases of elections in the state so that their top leaders can campaign throughout the state as per their wish. And now when their campaigning is almost finished the EC suddenly declared that big meetings are cancelled. Despite all its efforts the BJP will not be able to win this state,” she added.
If any booth level worker has been picked up or arrested by the police or central forces on the polling day she has urged their families and TMC supporters to gherao the police station and seek answers and then take legal action, Miss Banerjee said.
The chief minister has also advised TMC Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal to move court challenging the decision if the Elections Commission decides to keep a close observation on him during polling day.
During the 2016 Assembly polls the EC had seized all of Mondal’s cell phones and kept him under close observation. She has advised the TMC supporters to lodge FIRs if any such incident happens.
The CM has alleged that before the polls the EC has been purposely harassing her party workers and they have been picked up by the police.The huge number of outsiders brought by the BJP in the state have not been maintaining any Covid protocols, she alleged.