Ahead of elections, TMC says BSF being misused
KOLKATA: The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India alleging that the Border Security Force (BSF) was threatening people living in areas in the state bordering Bangladesh, asking them to vote for a particular political party. While the party did not name the Bharatiya Janata Party, it implied that it was referring to the national party which has emerged its main rival in the state.
The BJP, meanwhile has alleged that at least 400,000- 500,000 Rohingyas, who illegally entered the country through the Indobangla border, have been included in the voters’ list and urged the poll panel to order a special audit of the electoral roll.
Elections in the state are likely in the first half of the year.
“BSF personnel are going to border villages and threatening villagers to vote for a particular political party. Villagers are being told that the state administration won’t be able to help them and that they would be left at the mercy of BSF. We have taken up the matter with the ECI,” said Partha Chatterjee, TMC general secretary, after meeting the Chief Elec
Commissioner.
BSF, however, refuted the charges. “BSF is a professional border guarding force. We have actively checked on illegal infiltration and smuggling and criminals involved in such activities have been brought to book. The statements made by Chatterjee, are without any basis and far from truth,” said a statement issued by the force.
Representatives of both parties met CEC Sunil Arora and the two election commissioners Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar on
Thursday. The full bench of the ECI is on a two-day state visit to take stock of the poll preparedness and law and order situation.
“Border areas are very sensitive. We have urged ECI to cross-check the voters’ list in some areas as there has been an alarming increase in their numbers,” said Dilip Ghosh, BJP state president.
The BJP in its letter to ECI alleged that at least five border districts – Malda, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, and South 24 Parganas – have registion
tered high population growth in the last four years. HT could not independently verify it.
3 BJP workers held over ‘goli maaro’ slogans
Three workers of the BJP, including its Hooghly district youth wing chief Suresh Sahu, have been arrested for allegedly raising the controversial “Goli Maaro” slogan at senior leader Suvendu Adhikari’s rally in south Bengal’s Hooghly district on Wednesday, police officials said on Thursday.