Mamata Banerjee:Will withdraw TMC nominees if coal mafia charges proved

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses an election campaign in Midnapore on Thursday. Pic/PTI

Bankura/Purulia: TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's "slap" remark against Narendra Modi resonated in battleground West Bengal on Thursday, while she shot another barb at the prime minister, saying he will have to do a "100 squats holding his ears" if he failed to prove that her candidates were coal mafia.

The West Bengal chief minister bristled with anger at Modi's allegation at an election rally where he said TMC leaders were involved in illegal coal mining. She said she will withdraw party nominees from all the 42 Lok Sabha seats if even one was found involved in such activity.

"And if you (Modi) have lied, you will have to do 100 squats holding your ears," she told a rally in Bankura, a couple of hours after the prime minister's meeting in the same constituency. At his rally, the prime minister raked up the "tight slap" remark made by Banerjee on Tuesday.

"I heard that Mamata didi wants to slap Modi; I respect you, call you didi (elder sister). Your slap will be like blessing to me," Modi said. Furious at being repeatedly termed as a party of 'tolabaj' (extortionists) by the prime minister, the TMC supremo had said, "Narendra Modi should get a tight slap of democracy."

Banerjee on Thursday insisted she never said she will slap Modi. "Arre, I spoke about the slap of democracy. Try to understand the language. Why should I slap you? I am not that kind of a person. What I understand is democracy. Slap of democracy means the mandate people will give by casting their votes," she elaborated.

Responding to Modi's coal mafia jibe at TMC leaders, Banerjee said the coal ministry that controls the mines functions under the central government and the mines are guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

"People belonging to the BJP are involved in the illegal business of coal," she shot back. Banerjee claimed she is in possession of a pen drive, and that if she makes it public, "many secrets about cattle smuggling and coal mafia will tumble out of the closet". The pen drive contains information about a central minister and a BJP MP "dealing in cattle smuggling."

The West Bengal chief minister said the allegations about involvement of TMC leaders in chit fund scams have not been proved. She also warned Modi against speaking about her family. "Don't talk about my family, I am alone and the people are my family." Modi had said, "She is not interested in the betterment of the state, but in that of her family."

Re-polling at 13 booths in TN on May 19

The Election Commission has ordered re-polling in 13 booths in Tamil Nadu during the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha polls on May 19, alongside the Assembly by-polls. Tamil Nadu went to polls on April 18. Re-polling will be held in eight polling stations in Dharmapuri, two in Theni and one each in Cuddalore, Tiruvallur, and Erode. The state's Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo had earlier recommended re-polling in 10 stations.

'Past governments were soft on terrorism'

The Modi government has shown zero-tolerance towards terrorism, unlike past dispensations which were "soft" on it, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday. He also said the BJP will get good results in the country's eastern states, including West Bengal and Odisha, and in Kerala as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "extremely popular". "In the past five years, no terrorist attack took place in Uttar Pradesh - this is possible only because of PM Modi. Earlier people were killed and brave soldiers were martyred," Adityanath said.

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