Women’s security to top Mamata's rural election campaign

With her government drawing flak over the perceived slide in law and order and the continuing spiral in incidents of crime against women, chief minister Mamata Banerjee is set to top her campaign pitch with a pledge to arrest the grim trend and ensure better security for women.

With her government drawing flak over the perceived slide in law and order and the continuing spiral in incidents of crime against women, chief minister Mamata Banerjee is set to top her campaign pitch with a pledge to arrest the grim trend and ensure better security for women.

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She is also likely to highlight the alleged nexus between the Congress and CPI(M) at the grassroots level while leading the rural poll campaign at Chandpara of the North 24-Parganas on Wednesday.

The Mamata government has been at pains to quell the rising tide of dissent in the wake of the Barasat rape and murder and similar outrages across the state. During a visit to the Barasat victim’s family on Monday, the chief minister ran into angry locals and lost her cool when quizzed on the delay in calling on the grieving kin.

“Over the last two years, our government has done a lot for the welfare of women, especially in the interiors of the state. Efforts are on to set up all-women police stations and the government will seek capital punishment for all rape accused, including those in the Barasat case. These will be highlighted during our campaign on Wednesday,” a senior Trinamool leader close to the chief minister, said.

The party top brass expects the chief minister to highlight the measures undertaken to curb crimes against women, in addition to the bouquet of development projects initiated during the last two years of her government while addressing over forty public meetings scheduled as part of the party panchayat poll campaign.

The alleged nexus between the Congress and CPI(M) had earlier topped the agenda for the party’s rural poll pitch, but has dropped down the pecking order in the wake of the unending spate of crime against women.