Kolkata, Sept. 26 -- Her party may have lost its name and symbol, but the indomitable spirit associated with Mamata Banerjee was unmistakable on Saturday as a belligerent Mamata vowed to fight the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the ruling BJP and renewed her call for Opposition unity, warning the Modi government: "You took Bengal; we will take Delhi."
Addressing her first major political meeting since the Assembly polls at Serampore Court Ground on Saturday, Banerjee, former West Bengal chief minister and chairperson of the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress (MAITMC), vowed to continue her agitation against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar until his resignation.
"Agitation against CEC Gyanesh Kumar would continue until he resigned," she roared, while alleging that the Assembly election was manipulated through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
"We did not lose. We were forcibly defeated. There was fraud in the name of SIR," Banerjee alleged.
She claimed that around 90 lakh names had been removed from the Bengal rolls and alleged the exercise was used to facilitate the BJP's victory.
"Vanish Kumar must go. Till Gyanesh Kumar resigns, our movement will continue," she said. Her remarks came amid Opposition demands for action against the CEC over the SIR process and an INDIA bloc meeting slated on September 30 in the national capital.
Calling for wider Opposition coordination, Banerjee said she had spoken to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby.
Banerjee also broadened her attack to the Election Commission machinery, naming Seema Khanna, and alleged that voters across social groups were being affected. "Not even Hindus, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or OBCs are being spared," she said, while questioning the exclusion of ordinary and poor voters.
The former chief minister also raised the issue of attacks and arrests involving her party workers ahead of the meeting. She alleged that MAITC workers were being detained, prevented from attending political programmes and subjected to police action.
Police had arrested MAITC workers in Serampore ahead of the rally, while the party claimed that more than 150 workers had been rounded up.
After the regime change, she alleged 14 thousands cases have been given to her party workers where several have been murdered including custodial deaths.
She also criticised the eviction of hawkers under the new government and promised legal intervention. "I will fight the hawkers' case in court. They must be given alternative work and compensation," Banerjee said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.