BSF threatening border residents to vote for BJP, TMC complains to EC

With Assembly polls due in West Bengal in April-May, the sparring between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP is getting more shrill.

Since the BJP started emerging as the most formidable rival to the TMC, the ruling party in West Bengal has alleged the saffron outfit was using organs of the Central government for political means.

Both the TMC and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have accused the BJP of using investigation agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate and also the Income Tax Department.

On Thursday, the TMC levelled a new allegation: The Border Security Force (BSF), which guards the border with Bangladesh, was coercing border residents to vote in favour of the BJP.

A group of TMC leaders met with the full bench of the Election Commission in Kolkata and raised the issue. The full bench of the EC, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, arrived in the state on Wednesday evening on a two-day visit ahead of the Assembly polls, the dates of which are yet to be announced.

"We have informed the CEC and other EC officials that the BSF is threatening voters in border areas. We have received inputs that officers of the paramilitary force are visiting various villages and asking people to cast their votes in favour of a particular political party. This is a dangerous situation and the EC must look into it," TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee told reporters.

Firhad Hakim, a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government, was more explicit. Hakim told ANI, "BJP is sending BSF to villages in border areas in West Bengal and terrorising people to vote for them, this is my allegation. Election Commission said we will cross-check it."

However, the BJP fired back at Hakim. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya, who is also co-in charge of the party for West Bengal, alleged the minister was "feeling insecure about BSF patrolling Indo-Bangladesh border".

Malviya tweeted, "Pishi’ minister, who discovered mini-Pakistan in the heart of Kolkata, is now feeling insecure about BSF patrolling Indo-Bangladesh border! Come elections, TMC after all would need more illegal migrants to vote for them, as residents of WB have made up their minds to vote for BJP!"

Malviya was referring to an interview that Hakim gave to Pakistani newspaper Dawn before the 2016 Assembly election. In the interview, Hakim had referred to his constituency, Garden Reach, as "mini-Pakistan".

Leaders of the BJP also met the Election Commission on Thursday and complained that Rohingyas were being included in the voters' list. West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh told ANI, "5 lakh or so Rohingyas and outsiders' names are in voter list; EC should take note and weed them out. The balance of voters has been tampered with as a result. TMC should not be under belief that all Muslims will vote for them."

“|It is the duty of the Election Commission to ensure that people vote without fear. It is important the Central Forces are deployed here soon. We are certain that names of Rohingyas have been included to voter list in border areas; this should be looked into," Ghosh told ANI.