Kolkata : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday blamed her rivals of spreading canards and urged people not to fall prey to provocations ahead of the last phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state Monday.
She also rubbished the opposition’s accusations that the ruling Trinamool Congress is employing violent tactics.
“Unfortunately the elections this time are characterised by the malicious campaigns launched by the opposition which has lost ground beneath its feet. The CPI-M and the Congress who unleashed terror in Bengal are now claiming to be victims,” Banerjee said.
“The CPI-M, Congress and the BJP are working in tandem… and they are attempting to create trouble in certain areas to mislead people just a day ahead of the polls,” Banerjee reacted to allegation by the opposition of attacks on its leaders by Trinamool activist.
Banerjee also condemned the assault on party’s Berhampur candidate, Indranil Sen, who was roughed up allegedly by Congress activists.
Meanwhile, CPI-M leader Surjya Kanta Mishra accused the ruling party of trying to vitiate free and fair polls in the state and said people are fast losing their faith in the Election Commission.
Referring to several incidents of attacks on CPI-M leaders and supporters a day ahead of the fifth and final phase of the polls in 17 constituencies, Mishra said the EC’s role in preventing such incidents and assure the voters was “not encouraging”.
“We have seen how the ruling party has unleashed a reign of terror across Dum Dum, North 24 Parganas and Kolkata North constituencies. Unfortunately, the EC’s role in preventing these incidents and reassuring the voters has not been encouraging,” Mishra told mediapersons here.
Mishra referred to the attacks on Cossipore zonal committee secretary Kalyan Samajdar, who has grievously injured in an attack, and Saturday’s attack on CPI-M party office in North 24 Parganas’ Belgharia.
The state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also submitted a memorandum to the poll panel, giving details about “intimidation and attacks from the ruling party on its activists and supporters in areas which go to poll Monday”.
The Congress too alleged violent tactics by the Trinamool after its candidate for the Chakdaha assembly seat by-poll in Nadia district, Samarlal Singha Roy, alleged he and his bodyguard were roughed up by goons carrying flags of the ruling party.