E-Paper
'No effort to incite people against CAPFs': Mamata Banerjee replies to EC notice
"In my speech, I had only called upon the voters, specifically voters who are women to protect (democratically by gherao) if and when somebody (including CAPF) created any obstruction in their right to vote," she said, adding that gherao is one of the democratic ways of registering public protest.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was served notice by the Election Commission of India (ECI) over her remarks on Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), said there was no attempt to threaten, incite or influence the electorate against the force and any allegations to the contrary were 'unfounded' and 'denied'.
"In my speech, I had only called upon the voters, specifically voters who are women to protect (democratically by gherao) if and when somebody (including CAPF) created any obstruction in their right to vote," she said, adding that gherao is one of the democratic ways of registering public protest.
"Be it noted that multi-dimensional word gherao has been a legitimate entry in the political lexicon of West Bengal since late 1960s...," she said. In recent years the word has been used to connote peaceful satyagraha against authorities by silent victims of the situation, she added.
On Friday, the EC issued notice to Mamata Banerjee over her poll speech in which she allegedly asked people to 'gherao' (block) central paramilitary security forces.
According to the EC, Mamata Banerjee's statements were “completely false, provocative, and intemperate”.
Click here for full Covid-19 coverage
The notice also mentioned an interview with a news channel, held on March 28 too, in which she was heard criticising the CAPF for 'threatening' women.
"Who gave so much power to them that the central police are threatening the women without allowing them to cast their votes? I saw the same thing in 2019, I saw the same thing in 2016," Banerjee said.
Another notice was issued to her on Thursday over her remark urging Muslims to guard against those splitting their votes.
