West Bengal elections 2021: Amit Shah hatching conspiracy to harass us, says Mamata Banerjee

Mejia, Mar 16: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of "hatching a conspiracy" to harass TMC leaders ahead of the assembly polls, and sought to know if the Election Commission (EC) is taking instructions from him.

The CM also said that she would be forced to stage a protest outside the poll panel's office, if the BJP continues to "interfere" in its day-to-day functioning.

Contending that Shah is "frustrated" over the poor turnout at his rallies, Banerjee, who addressed three public meetings in Bankura during the day, accused the BJP of plotting to kill her, and claimed that her director of security, Vivek Sahay, was removed from the post by the poll panel, following her injury in Nandigram, for this reason.

Referring to the last week's "attack" on her in Nandigram, where she has crossed swords with her protege- turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari, Banerjee said no injury can stop her from ensuring her party's victory in the polls.

"Amit Shah is frustrated as his rallies have registered poor turnout. Instead of running the country, he is sitting in Kolkata and hatching conspiracies to harass TMC leaders. What do they want? Do they want to kill me? Do they think they can win elections by killing me? If they think so, they are wrong," she said.

Urging the EC to take note of Shah's "antics", Banerjee wondered whether the EC has been reduced to a political tool of the saffron party. "Is Amit Shah running the EC? (It seems) he is giving instructions to the EC. What happened to their independence? My director security (Vivek Sahay) was removed (by EC) under his instructions," she said.

Banerjee claimed Shah, who held a series of meetings with the state leadership on Monday night, has understood well that his party is still miles away from the seat of power.

"They are booking all hotels. They are planning to frame cases against TMC candidates, send CBI, ED teams to harass political rivals? They are sending notices to those behind the Nandigram land movement. Bankura and Bengal should show others the way to defeat these dictators," she said.

Demanding free LPG gas for every citizen, she said, the BJP is "selling off" railways, Coal India, closing down BSNL and banks and "people should unite against this move". "They have renamed a stadium after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. If they get to have their way they will change the name of the country," she said.