Mamata Banerjee lashes out at EC and BJP, says Kolkata riots worse than Babri Masjid demolition

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday lashed out at the Election Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party for cutting short campaign duration in the state. Referring to riots during the BJP President Amit Shah’s rally in Kolkata on Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee said that what happened there was worse than the violence that took place in the aftermath of Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. “What happened in Kolkata yesterday, this kind of ruckus didn’t even happen after Babri Masjid demolition. Only I know how I kept the situation under control,” she said at a press conference in Kolkata. The West Bengal CM said that national icon Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s bust was demolished by the saffron-clad goons brought to the state from outside by the BJP. “We have very peaceful and intellectual students, who will never demolish Vidyasagar’s bust,” Mamata Banerjee told media. The TMC chief had called the press conference to condemn the Election Commission’s decision to cut short the campaigning in nine Lok Sabha constituencies of West Bengal by a day due to incidents of violence. Mamata Banerjee alleged that there was no law and order problem in West Bengal, barring Amit Shah rallies. “And he has the audacity to hold a press conference to threaten the Election Commission. I want to tell Modi, West Bengal is not Kashmir or Bihar or Tripura or UP. This is West Bengal, this is Bangla, you won’t be able to take it under your thumb,” the TMC chief said. Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Election Commission curtailed the campaign time in the state at the behest of BJP. She accused the constitutional body of taking orders from Amit Shah and Narendra Modi. “If there is a problem of violence in West Bengal than the EC should have stopped campaigning from today, but they would never do that because tomorrow there is a rally by Modi. So once his rally ends, the campaign ends? Unfair, unconstitutional, unprecedented… EC is full of RSS men,” a visibly upset Mamata Banerjee said. “What kind of democracy is this? The Supreme Court is not listening to us. The Election Commission is listening to BJP. Where will we go? Where will our people go?” Mamata Banerjee appealed to people to not to vote for BJP in the last phase and accused PM Modi and Amit Shah of insulting the people of Bengal. “Come out and protest against BJP and mega EC conspiracy,” she said. On India Today TV’s question if she expects any support from Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders, Mamata Banerjee said she expects support from all parties. “I expect support from every party. Even from NDA allies. Because ECI is being biased against every party, but BJP. They are not being Constitutional. I never speak like this. But I’m forced to talk like this,” she said.