Claiming that officers sent by the Election Commission as special observers are abusing and insulting the people of West Bengal, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Sunday accused the BJP of trying to run a parallel government in the state.
The chief minister also alleged that the poll panel has deputed the two retired officers to run the government in Bengal.
"The officers are abusing and insulting the people of the state," she said, reacting to Special Observer Ajay V Nayak's observation that the situation in Bengal is similar to what it was in Bihar around 10 to 15 years ago.
The people have lost faith in the state police, and therefore, their demand for deployment of central forces at all polling booths has increased, Nayak, a former chief electoral officer of Bihar, said on Saturday.
"The BJP is trying to run a parallel govt in the state," she said, adding, "Two retired officers have been sent to run the government, this is unconstitutional. They are trying to help the BJP."
Banerjee said that in 2016, assembly elections were held with deployment of central forces in all the booths, but that did not deter her party from registering a resounding victory.
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Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann ki Baat' addresses were full of falsehood, the CM said that he spoke the language of the RSS on radio over the last five years.
"The prime minister's position has a stature, I have never seen a person stoop so low," she said, addressing two election rallies in Nadia district.
Claiming that lakhs of migrant labourers lost their jobs due to demonetisation, she said, "You had done notebandi, people will do votebandi."
She alleged that labourers from Bengal were killed and subjected to violence in the then BJP-ruled Rajasthan and other places, leading to their mass return out of fear of persecution.
Banerjee accused the Modi government of depriving West Bengal in the last five years. "Every day, he is resorting to lies. They are seasonal birds, who come during elections only and vanish after the polls," she said.
Asserting that she faced several vilification bids throughout her political career, the CM said, "I don't care if someone calls me a thief".
Banerjee added that she has written 87 books and a number of songs, royalties from which are enough for her sustenance.
Neither the BJP nor the Congress will win the general elections. Instead, friendly regional parties will form the government at the Centre, she said.
"The BJP, the Congress and the CPI(M), who are all brothers in arms, will become mere signboards... after the elections," Banerjee said.
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