Defending her remarks, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is learnt to have instructed the Election Commission on Saturday that she has the very best regard for central armed police forces, however there have been critical allegations of CAPF intimidating voters and influencing the citizens to forged their vote for a specific political occasion. Responding to a discover issued by the ballot panel on Thursday looking for rationalization over her “prima facie completely false, provocative and intemperate statements” in opposition to the central armed police forces deputed on election obligation within the state, the Trinamool Congress chief denied the contents of the EC communication.
Banerjee additionally urged the ballot watchdog to rescind its discover, contending she has not violated the mannequin code or the varied sections of the Indian Penal Code. She claimed {that a} woman was allegedly molested by an unidentified CRPF personnel within the early hours of April 6 at Ramnagar, underneath Tarakeshwar police station and the matter was reported to the police which lodged an FIR. The TMC had complained with the state chief electoral officer. But until date, no tangible motion has been taken nor an advisory or instruction issued by Election Commission to the central forces on this regard, she claimed.
“I have the highest regard for the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and commend and laud their contributions to the safety and security of the country,” she mentioned in her reply. But in the course of the first three phases of polls in West Bengal, there have been critical allegations of CAPF resorting to intimidation of voters by exerting power, influencing the citizens to forged their votes for a specific political occasion, Banerjee is learnt to have alleged her reply.
Her occasion has additionally lodged a number of complaints however just a few had been redressed, she claimed. To drive residence her level that she didn’t instigate folks to hold out violent acts in opposition to the central forces, Banerjee additionally reproduced sure parts of her speech in her reply to the EC.
“I tell you ladies, a group of you go and restrain (gherao) them while another group will go to cast their votes. One group will restrain them and another group will go to cast their votes. “Don’t waste your vote for those who interact your self solely in restraining them, they are going to be joyful that you simply didn’t forged your vote. This is their plan. It is the plan of the BJP.
“And your plan will be that you will not be scared if they try to intimidate you coming to your village on the one hand, on the other you just talk to them. Talking to them will tantamount to restraining them. You don’t have to gherao them literally,” in keeping with the portion of her speech cited in her reply. She mentioned in herspeech, she had solely referred to as upon the voters, particularly girls voters, “to protest democratically by gherao if and when somebody (including CAPF) created any obstruction in their right to vote”.
She mentioned “gherao” is likely one of the democratic methods of registering public protest andthere isn’t any cause why gherao ought to be thought-about unlawful. Banerjee mentioned the time period “gherao” has been a component ofthe political lexicon of West Bengal since late 1960. She mentioned it has been used to connote peaceable “satyagraha” in opposition to authorities and he or she referred to “gherao” in her speech by the use of verbal engagement and never a literal gherao.
The TMC chief once more focused the Centre and the CAPF on Saturday, after 4 folks had been killed in firing by CISF personnel allegedly after coming underneath assault from locals who “attempted to snatch their rifles” in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district. Banerjee mentioned her authorities will provoke a CID probe into the incident and questioned the central forces’ model of firing in self-defence.
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