“The election is the responsibility of the Election Commission, the DMs, and the SPs… But if I hear similar incidents this year… then remember that elections will be over… but we will remain here… I want all people to vote. Even the migratory labourers must vote,” she said.
The BJP wrested the Balurghat Lok Sabha seat from the TMC in the 2019 elections.
Earlier at a programme held in Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, Banerjee expressed concern over reports that the BSF was issuing identity cards to residents in border areas. Cautioning people against accepting such cards, labelling those as potential tools in an “NRC trap”, the CM said: “They (BSF) are issuing separate identity cards to people living in border areas. Never accept these cards. This is a trap.”
“The BSF is saying that everyone has to carry their card. Next time when they ask you, just say it is not your property. It is the state government’s property. Tell them you have Aadhaar card, voter ID card,” she said and directed the DMs to issue work permit cards for those who cross the border for work.
Reacting to the CM’s charge, the BSF in a statement said it does not issue any identity card. “The BSF has nothing to do with the conduct of the NRC. It is a professional force which protects the India-Bangladesh and India-Pakistan Border,” the BSF statement read.
Earlier in the day, the chief minister also lambasted the BJP for allegedly bringing up issues like the National Register of Citizens (NRC), CAA and Uniform Civil Code ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. “This is nothing but politics. We have given citizenship to everyone (and) they (people in border areas) are getting everything. They are citizens, which is why they are allowed to vote,” she said.
“But let me make it very clear that as long as I am alive, I will not allow implementation of NRC in West Bengal. I will not allow them to take away the citizenship of anyone… everyone here is a citizen,” Banerjee said.
Earlier on several occasions, Banerjee has said her government won’t allow the implementation of CAA in the state. Her latest remarks on the issue were prompted by BJP leaders such as Majumdar and Union minister Shantanu Thakur’s recent assertion that the CAA would be rolled out across the country ahead of the parliamentary elections.
The CAA, enacted by the BJP-led government at the Centre in 2019, seeks to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim immigrants, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014.
Banerjee also alleged that people are not allowed to have non-vegetarian food in BJP-ruled states. “In BJP-ruled states, they are not allowing people to eat eggs, fish and meat. They have even demolished shops using bulldozers in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh… But here, We have not taken away people’s freedom of choice,” she said.
She also attacked the BJP government at the Centre over the upcoming interim budget, saying it will be “full of lies”. “It is an election year. So, there will be a vote on account. There will not be a full budget. They (BJP government) will lie and make promises of giving you rice, dal, money, 15 lakh rupees. But after the election, they (BJP) will not be in power. So, how will they give? It will be us who will give everything and I am already doing so,” she added.