Mamata Banerjee accuses BJP of not following Model Code of Conduct

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, 4 April, accused the BJP of not following the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the Lok Sabha polls and asserted that the poisonous snake can be trusted but not the saffron camp.

Addressing a rally in Cooch Behar, Banerjee alleged that the central investigating agencies, BSF and CISF are working at the behest of the BJP and urged the Election Commission to look into it and ensure a level-playing field.

"You can trust a poisonous snake; you can even pet it, but you can never trust the BJP... The BJP is destroying the country," she said.

Asserting that her party- TMC will not bow before the "threat of central agencies," Banerjee urged women in Cooch Behar to file police complaints if "there are instances of BSF torturing locals" ahead of the polls, scheduled for 19 April.

"The central investigating agencies, the NIA, Income Tax, BSF and CISF are working for the BJP. We will humbly plead to the Election Commission to ensure a level playing field as central agencies are working for the saffron camp," she said.

The BJP only follows the principle of one nation, one party, Banerjee said.

"It is a matter of shame that the person against whom there are several cases has been appointed as MOS home affairs," she said in apparent reference to Union minister of state and BJP MP Nisith Pramanik.