Mamata Banerjee Condemns Midnight Raids, Vows Trinamool's Unyielding Fight
In a fiery address at a rally in Pingla, West Midnapore, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared on Tuesday that midnight raids and arrests by central agencies will not intimidate or stop the Trinamool Congress. Her strong words came just hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Vinesh Chandel, co-founder of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), in New Delhi late Monday.
"If One Is Arrested, Another Will Take His Place"
Mamata Banerjee asserted, "If one is arrested, another will take his place. We will continue to fight. It is not so easy to control West Bengal. They are threatening to put people behind bars. I want to see how powerful they are." She coined a slogan in Bengali, translating to "Big brother has come from Delhi along with ED and CBI," targeting the central government's actions.
With elections in West Bengal only eight days away, the CM alleged that instructions have been given to arrest booth agents to prevent them from sitting at polling stations. She detailed that after polls were announced on March 16, the ED summoned Trinamool candidates Debashis Kumar and ministers Sujit Bose and Rathin Ghosh, while the National Investigation Agency (NIA) summoned 43 Trinamool workers in Nandigram in a 2024 case.
TMC Leaders Decry Arrest as Electoral Sabotage
Following Chandel's arrest, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee posted on X, calling it alarming and a threat to democracy. He wrote, "The arrest of Vinesh Chandel, co-founder of I-PAC, barely 10 days before the Bengal elections is not just alarming. It shakes the very idea of a level-playing field." He accused the BJP of double standards, stating that those facing corruption allegations find protection when switching sides, while others are targeted at politically convenient times.
Derek O'Brien, TMC Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson, labeled the ED action as "electoral sabotage," with less than nine days before the first phase of polls. He remarked, "ED has now renamed themselves as 'Extremely Desperate' by their actions, but despite all these, their political masters, BJP, will end up losing in the Bengal assembly polls."
Mamata Urges Women to Stand Firm Against Security Forces
At rallies in Tamluk, East Midnapore, and Domjur, Howrah, Mamata Banerjee urged women to "stand firm" against security forces if attempts are made to prevent people from voting, while clarifying she was not advocating violence. She questioned the deployment of a large number of central forces in Bengal, suggesting they were brought in to favor the BJP.
"They have brought in officers who are close to BJP and replaced the ICs... If your sole aim was to keep peace, you could have used West Bengal Police. People don't see central forces during any natural calamity or riots," she said. Mamata advised people to lodge complaints against any police officer if tortured and encouraged women to keep brooms in hand as a symbolic stand against armed forces.
The CM's statements highlight escalating tensions in West Bengal as elections approach, with Trinamool Congress positioning itself as a resilient force against what it perceives as politically motivated actions by central agencies.
