TMC lodges complaint with EC against PM Modi for Model code violation

Kolkata: The TMC on Thursday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP's Krishnanagar candidate, Amrita Roy, for alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), a claim denied as baseless by the saffron camp.

The TMC referred to a telephonic conversation between Modi and Roy on Wednesday, during which the PM mentioned his efforts to ensure that nearly Rs 3,000 crore, purportedly "looted" from poor people in West Bengal and seized by the Enforcement Directorate, would be returned to them.

It is an attempt to sway voters during the Lok Sabha elections, the TMC claimed.

Modi asserted this during his conversation with Roy, a member of the erstwhile royalty and BJP candidate against TMC's Mahua Moitra in the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency.

The details of the conversation between the two were shared by the BJP.

In its letter to the EC, the TMC claimed that the prime minister's statement was "an attempt to sway voters with monetary benefit" to gain undue influence.

"It is evident that such promises are being made by him (PM Modi) to disrupt the very ideology of ensuring a 'level playing field' by illegally garnering votes for the BJP," the TMC's letter to EC said.

Additionally, the TMC argued that the alleged amount of Rs 3,000 crore remained unverified and unconfirmed.

The Mamata Banerjee-led party also accused Roy of making "communal remarks" during her conversation with the prime minister.

The letter highlighted Roy's comments referencing her royal family being labelled as traitors and Maharaja Krishnachandra Roy's historical association with preserving "Sanatan Dharma," which the TMC deemed a violation of the MCC.

With Roy tracing her lineage to the 18th-century local king Krishnachandra Roy, the TMC had targeted the erstwhile royalty for its alleged support to the British after the BJP named her as its candidate.

Responding to the complaints by the TMC, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari dismissed them as baseless.

He stated, "The allegations are politically motivated. These complaints have no basis at all. The TMC, sensing defeat, is making knee-jerk reactions."