Kolkata, April 19 -- Alleging that central agencies were being used to target her and her associates, Trinamool chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Sunday claimed that recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) action was part of a larger conspiracy to "eliminate" her.
"Through ED, the BJP is harassing the person who provides me security. You are trying to murder me. Tell me where do you want to assassinate me? I will stand alone. If you have the guts, fire at me. But I will not bow down," she said at a rally in Kalna.
Her remarks came hours after the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at three premises linked to Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sinha Biswas and Sun Enterprise managing director Jay S. Kamdar in connection with a money laundering probe tied to the land grab case, where TMC's Rashbehari candidate and sitting MLA Debashish Kumar was also summoned previously.
She accused the BJP of unleashing agencies to selectively target Trinamool leaders while sparing defectors, warning of legal action.
Banerjee also alleged a violation of the Model Code of Conduct by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming that "cards" were distributed in parts of East Burdwan during a recent visit. Terming the exercise "illegal and misleading," she urged candidate Rabindranath Chatterjee to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission. "Those who have taken these cards must be careful. They have collected your bank details and may misuse them," she said, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of deception.
Campaigning alongside candidates Deboprasad Bag, Swapan Debnath and Rabindranath Chatterjee, Banerjee highlighted the district's handloom industry and her government's Taant Sathi scheme, providing free looms. She listed welfare schemes-Lakshmir Bhandar, Swasthya Sathi, Krishak Bandhu, Kanyashree, Aikyashree and others-claiming benefits across communities, including free cycles, smartphones and support for self-help groups through dedicated mall spaces.
Alleging harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states and coercion to pledge votes on religious texts, she said "they have ruined the country."
Banerjee opposed NRC and delimitation, alleging attempts to disenfranchise voters, and said her party ensured 32 lakh names remained on the electoral rolls through a Supreme Court battle.
Asserting that "nobody can defeat TMC in Bengal," she urged women voters to resist intimidation and reach polling booths, even "with broomsticks if needed."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.