Kolkata: AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday alleged that BJP-EC conspiracy led to the deletion of the names of 27 lakh voters from the West Bengal electoral rolls under the SIR exercise, claiming that it was part of a larger plan to target their citizenship documents.
Addressing an election rally in Ballygunge here, Kejriwal also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “insulting” the people of the state by deploying 3.5 lakh security personnel for the Assembly polls.
He urged those whose names were allegedly deleted from the voters’ list to support the Trinamool Congress.
“Go and tell your friends, relatives and neighbours to vote for TMC candidates in this election. Didi has to win this fight against the BJP, which wants to take away your citizenship rights as part of a bigger game plan to win the polls,” he said.
“Remember, they (BJP) will get your citizenship documents, such as ration cards, cancelled, and only Mamata Banerjee can help you. She will stand by you,” he said.
Alleging that Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were bringing people from outside the state to influence the polls, he said several BJP-ruled states’ chief ministers were campaigning in the state.
“This shows how a woman of short height stands tall against Modi and Shah and is challenging the BJP,” he said.
“Modiji has deployed central agencies such as the ED, CBI and also 3.5 lakh security personnel for an assembly poll. What is happening? Are people of Bengal terrorists?” he asked.
Accusing the BJP leadership of using central agencies to target political opponents, Kejriwal said, “A year ago, they filed a corruption case against me and put me in jail for six months. After a year, the court said there was not a shred of evidence against the fabricated charges. Please don’t allow this revengeful government, which believes in vendetta politics, come to power in West Bengal.”
Kejriwal said all the good work done by him as the Delhi chief minister were nullified by the BJP.
“Remember, the work done by Didi will be annulled if the Modi government comes to power. Modi had promised to give Rs 2,500 to every woman in Delhi before the Assembly polls but reneged on his promise,” he said.
Branding Modi as a “peddler of falsehood”, Kejriwal said, “He has put so much at stake in the electoral outcome of a state. If the BJP loses in Bengal, will he resign?”
Kejriwal said the West Bengal Assembly polls were a “litmus test” to save the country from the BJP’s “misgovernance” and added, “Didi is fighting for the country.”
