Mamata Banerjee accuses BJP of threatening railway workers, promises to protect them from eviction

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of threatening railway workers, adding that it is selling the railways and wiping out jobs.

Speaking at a public rally in Kharagpur, Mamata said: "BJP talks big and threatens railway workers. They cannot build a single home themselves, yet they threaten the TMC and say that if they do anything at the behest of the party, the workers will be transferred. I was the Railway Minister two times. I know the railways very well."

"There are plans to sell and privatise the railway. How many railway workers will be left? Kharagpur is a rail town, 90 per cent of it comes under the railway area. If railways are sold, your jobs will be wiped out. What will you eat?" she asked the crowd.

The Chief Minister promised that if the BJP transfers any railway worker, the ruling government will transfer the party itself, while vowing to protect workers from getting evicted.

"There is no profit from making threats. I know railways better than others. They say they will evict people from railway land. It is not so easy. No one will be evicted from railways land. They already did it in Siliguri and tried to do the same in Bankura but I did not let them.

Mamata launched a tirade of attacks on the BJP on several issues like the farm bills, unemployment, women safety and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Bangladesh, calling the latter a 'total violation of code of conduct' of the election.

"If he needs votes in Kharagpur, why did he go to Bangladesh? He has gone to Bangladesh for his marketing. Who is truthful and who is a liar, an answer to this is required otherwise we will go till the end," she remarked.

She also alleged that the BJP brought UP police, which threw out TMC's chief election agent from his booth on the instructions of the Home Ministry.

"Amit Shah, run the country, you are not here to run a law and order system of riots... They don't care about the nation, they are selling everything from rails to shops and buses, closing banks," the chief minister stated.

Also terming the Centre's new farm laws as "draconian and dark," the TMC supremo reiterated her 'Khela hobe' slogan to "kick the BJP out" from the state.

Polling for the first of the eight-phase assembly polls in West Bengal began at 7 am on Saturday with voters deciding the fate of 191 candidates in 30 constituencies.

All constituencies in Purulia, Jhargram and segments of Bankura, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur are going to decide the electoral fate of 191 candidates, including 21 women candidates in the fray. The polling will end at 6.30 pm.

In the first phase, a total of 73,80,942 electorates will cast their votes including 7,52,938 male voters, 36,27,949 female voters, 55 of the third gender and 11,767 service electors.

As many as 730 coys of central forces, including 92 for Bankura, 169 for Purba Medinipur, 139 for Paschim Medinipur, 186 for Purulia and 144 for Jhargram have been deployed for this phase.Mamata Banerjee will face her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari in a high-stakes battle in Nandigram during the second phase of the polls.

( With inputs from ANI )