"The BJP brought in goons from other states during the assembly elections," Mamata Banerjee said (File)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of using central agencies to target Trinamool Congress leaders as part of the BJP''s vendetta politics, as soon as the assembly by-poll dates were announced.
The state BJP described her allegations as baseless.
Claiming that the BJP is worse than Duryodhana and Dushashana, Kaurava brothers in the Mahabharata, Banerjee alleged that Modi and Shah had hatched a conspiracy to defeat her in Nandigram during the assembly election held earlier this year and forced her to contest a by-poll.
The TMC supremo, who started her poll campaign for the Bhabanipur by-election, also alleged that the saffron party is targeting party general secretary and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee for political reasons, claiming there is no valid case against him.
Abhishek Banerjee was questioned for about nine hours by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Delhi on Monday in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal pilferage scam in West Bengal.
"We only know how we fought against all odds to win the assembly polls. The BJP brought in goons from other states during the assembly elections. I had to contest this by-poll as a conspiracy was hatched against me (in Nandigram)," she said while addressing a workers' meet in Kolkata.
Ms Banerjee was defeated by the BJP's Suvendu Adhikari from the Nandigram seat in the assembly elections held earlier this year. She needs to win the by-poll to continue as chief minister.
"The BJP is pursuing vendetta politics and is targeting Abhishek Banerjee.... As soon as by-poll dates are announced, TMC leaders are being summoned by (central) agencies.
"This is a conspiracy hatched by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to harass us. Even Duryodhana and Dushashana were not as bad as the BJP. They have used this same technique to harass the Congress, the RJD, Sharad Pawarji (of the NCP)," she said.
Ms Banerjee, without naming Suvendu Adhikari, said central agencies have not touched him despite his name being cropped up in the Narada bribery case.
"To take revenge on me, they are grilling Abhishek. Two days back he was questioned for nine hours, again he has been summoned. But the main culprits are roaming outside. They are calling our leaders for interrogation. But the one whose name appeared in connection with the Narada scam has not been called," she said.
Ms Banerjee announced that she will file her nomination for the Bhabanipur bypoll on Friday.
"If there is any case against any BJP leader in Bengal under the jurisdiction of state police, he will immediately seek reprieve so that no action as per law can be taken against him. This is their double standard," she said.
Referring to the BJ''s recent complaint to the EC accusing her of violating the model code of conduct (MCC) by participating in a programme where the West Bengal government announced a grant of Rs 50,000 to each Durga puja committee ahead of the state's biggest festival, Banerjee said the allegations are baseless.
"I did not make an announcement. None of the clubs from Bhabanipur or those two other constituencies which will go to polls was invited to the programme. The BJP claims to be a messiah of the Hindus and they have problems with Durga Puja. They should clearly say whether they want Durga Puja to be organised or not," she said.
The BJP is selling off the country while unemployment is at a record high, the TMC supremo alleged.
"Under the BJP government, India has lost its place in the world. But when these questions are raised, the government targets the opposition with ED and CBI," she said.
Meanwhile, Ms Banerjee also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure that Covaxin is recognised by it so that those who availed that vaccine against Covid-19 can travel abroad.
The prime minister will be visiting the US very soon, she said.
"If our citizens who have availed Covaxin are not allowed to visit other countries, why are we allowing people from abroad? The matter should be looked into," she said.
Reacting to Ms Banerjee's allegation that Modi and Shah are targeting TMC leaders, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh termed it as baseless.
"The central agencies must have found something and that is why they are summoning TMC leaders for questioning," he said.