Kolkata, April 4 (IANS) After Berhampore in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, another Trinamool Congress leader, on Saturday, was arrested in Canning town of South 24 Parganas district on the orders of the Election Commission of India (ECI) for issuing a threat to voters ahead of the upcoming state Assembly polls.
According to an ECI official, Hafizul Mollah, a Trinamool Congress leader and Head of Deuli-1 Gram Panchayat in South 24 Parganas district, has threatened voters in the district.
It is alleged that Mollah, during a Trinamool Congress meeting in Jibantala, said: “After the counting of votes, the ‘steam roller’ will continue.”
The Commission had asked Mollah to be arrested for his comments after which the police have arrested him following the poll panel’s order.
The Commission has instructed the police to take necessary legal action against the Trinamool Congress leader.
A video of Mollah’s controversial speech has already gone viral on the social media where he can be heard saying, “The voting for the West Bengal polls will take place on April 29 and counting of votes on May 4. We are openly saying that the ‘steam roller’ will be used on them, who will betray us and vote against our party, from the evening of counting. Because, we have to win this fight.”
Incidentally, earlier, on the orders of the ECI, the police arrested Raju Mandal, the President of the Ward 8 Trinamool Congress committee in Berhampore Municipality, on charges of intimidating voters.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticised the Trinamool Congress-led state government for not taking action against such party leaders.
“A Trinamool leader from South 24 Parganas has threatened to crush the common people with a ‘steamroll’ after the poll results are declared. Trinamool has nothing left in its hands now, except to intimidate. They know that the people of West Bengal will not accept this situation anymore,” the BJP said in a social media post on X, sharing a clip of Hafizul Mollah’s video.
“They (Trinamool Congress) know that the people of West Bengal will not tolerate corruption and appeasement politics anymore. They know that the people of Bengal are ready to give their verdict in favour of the double-engine government,” the BJP added.
–IANS
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