Trinamool Congress MLA Ratna Ghosh Kar was on Tuesday caught on camera asking people to chase away central forces deployed in West Bengal with brooms. The Chakda MLA told a meeting of Trinamool Congress workers that there is nothing fair or unfair in war.
“To win a war, there is nothing called fair or unfair, democratic or undemocratic,” she told party workers, Times Now reported. “I have seen our boys being chased away and beaten up by central forces. We will not pay any heed to the central forces. If need be, I will ask our women cadres to shoo the central forces away with their broomsticks and force them to leave the area.”
The West Bengal chief electoral officer has sought a report from district magistrate of Nadia on the matter based on a complaint filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, ANI reported.
Earlier on Wednesday, BJP President Amit Shah said Kar’s remarks prove that the Trinamool Congress believes in the idea of violence and anarchy. “Finally, Mamata didi’s trusted lieutenant accepts that her party believes in the idea of violence and anarchy,” Shah tweeted. “But I want to remind Mamata didi that such destruction of democracy won’t last long. People of Bengal will vote out TMC at the hustings. Her time is up.”
A video of another Trinamool Congress leader, Anubrata Mondal, asking people to attack central forces also surfaced on social media. “The central forces will be deployed, but don’t be scared of them,” he said at an event. “Don’t spare them if they do something wrong. We are with you.”
Political leaders from across parties have made controversial statements during the election campaign. On Wednesday, Chhattisgarh minister Kawasi Lakhma warned voters that they will suffer an “electric shock” if they press any button on the electronic voting machines other than the one marked for the Congress candidate.
On Tuesday, Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ramesh Katara told people at a rally in Dahod constituency that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has installed cameras in polling booths and will know who votes for the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections.
Sakshi Maharaj, the BJP candidate from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao constituency, on April 12 threatened to curse people if they did not vote for him.
Union minister Maneka Gandhi told villagers in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district on April 15 that she will grade villages as A, B, C or D according to the number of votes she receives and will prioritise development work correspondingly. A week earlier, the Union minister had threatened Muslims in Sultanpur to vote for her or face the risk of not receiving her help after she is re-elected.
The 2019 General Elections are being held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. The results will be declared on May 23.
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