A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation on Sunday urged Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ariz Aftab to take note of a purported audio clip — in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is heard proposing a rally with the bodies of the Cooch Behar firing victims — as “such move could lead to more tension” in the State amid the ongoing elections.
Senior BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta, who led the delegation to the CEO’s office here, told reporters that he had apprised Mr. Aftab of the conversation that apparently took place between Ms. Banerjee and the TMC’s Sitalkuchi nominee, and pointed out that it could lead to untoward situations in the next three phases of the Assembly elections.
The TMC has already described the audio clip as “bogus” and said no such conversation took place.
Mr. Dasgupta, who is also the BJP candidate the Tarakeshwar Assembly seat, further said that the CEO had been requested to take up the matter with the top officials of the Election Commission.
He claimed that the audio tape was leaked on purpose. “We don’t think this is a case of phone tapping,” Mr. Dasgupta said.
He stressed that the BJP would abide by all EC-imposed COVID-19 restrictions, including the decision to end campaigning 72 hours before polling in the next three phases of elections.
“As a responsible party, we are ready to extend all cooperation to the EC,” the former MP added.
Releasing excerpts of a purported telephonic conversation between Ms. Banerjee and Mr. Partha Pratim Ray, the TMC candidate from the Sitalkuchi seat, the BJP’s IT cell chief, Amit Malviya, on Friday claimed that, “The Chief Minister is trying to instigate riots by asking her party leaders to take out rallies with bodies.”
“She is heard asking her party candidate to build the case in such a way that both the Superintendents of Police (of Cooch Behar) and other Central Forces personnel can be framed. Is this expected from a Chief Minister? She is trying to instil a sense of fear just for minority votes,” he said.
Four persons died near a booth in the Sitalkuchi constituency of Cooch Behar district as Central forces opened fire, allegedly after coming under attack from locals who “attempted to snatch their rifles, amid the voting exercise for the fourth phase of elections on April 10”.