'Deploy Central Forces, people in fear in Bengal', Dilip Ghosh urges ECI
Jan 21, 2021
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 21 : West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on Thursday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to deploy Central Forces in the state at the earliest claiming there is a 'sense of fear' among people ahead of elections.
Interacting with media after a meeting with the ECI officials here, the state BJP chief said, "Election Commission entire team is here to inspect arrangements for the upcoming assembly elections. As an opposition party, we have urged them to ensure an environment in which people can exercise their franchise in a neutral and peaceful environment. It is important the Central Forces are deployed here soon."
Ghosh said that there is an 'environment of fear' in Bengal during elections and claimed that violence was reported in all 42 parliamentary constituencies in the state during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
He also suggested that Central Forces must be deployed inside polling booths and State police outside for free and fair polls.
When asked about Trinamool Congress' (TMC) allegations that BJP has been threatening people through Border Security Forces (BSF) to get votes in its favour, Ghosh said: "We are certain that names of Rohingyas have been included in the voter's list in border areas, ECI must look into this."
He further accused West Bengal Police of partiality stating the example of BJP workers arrest on Thursday.
"Police took no action when TMC workers raised provocative slogans at the beginning. When some BJP workers raised slogans in counteraction, police arrested them from their homes at midnight," he said.
BJP youth wing leader Suresh Shaw and two other workers of the party were arrested in connection with provocative slogans being raised at a political rally in Chandannagar, police said on Thursday.
The BJP has been campaigning aggressively in West Bengal over the past few months with top leaders Amit Shah, JP Nadda visiting the state.
Elections to 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal are scheduled to take place in the next few months.
