Kolkata: As the West Bengal Assembly Elections draw closer, political tensions in West Bengal continue to escalate, with fresh controversy erupting over vehicle checking in the state.
Chief Minister and All India Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee launched a sharp attack on the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party while addressing an election rally in Islampur, located in Uttar Dinajpur district.
Banerjee claimed that even her vehicle was approached for inspection by central forces near Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (Dum Dum Airport). She stated that she personally allowed the inspection, saying she had no objection to checks being carried out.
However, raising questions over alleged selective action, she asked why similar inspections were not conducted on the vehicles of top central leaders such as the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. She alleged that while vehicles of Trinamool Congress leaders are being checked, BJP leaders are not subjected to the same scrutiny.
The Chief Minister further claimed that the actions were one-sided and politically motivated. She questioned whether elections could be conducted fairly under such circumstances and alleged that money was being transported in vehicles of central leaders. She also raised concerns regarding the role of central forces during the election process.
The controversy intensified following reports of alleged checking of the vehicle of Abhishek Banerjee, a Member of Parliament and prominent TMC leader. The Trinamool Congress claimed that instructions for checking his vehicle and that of his wife were circulated via a WhatsApp message, and warned of legal action over the matter.
Targeting both the Election Commission and BJP, Mamata Banerjee said she has no objection if her vehicle is checked daily, asserting that she has nothing to hide. She added that unlike BJP leaders, she is not involved in wrongdoing and emphasized that she does not even draw a salary from the government.
