'Modi ki guarantee' means putting all opposition leaders in jail after 4 June: Mamata

West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise to take action against corruption after 4 June, stating that the BJP's "Modi ki Guarantee" implies imprisoning opposition leaders post-elections.

Addressing a rally in the state's Bankura district, the TMC chief accused the BJP of "turning the entire country into a jail" and urged wives of TMC leaders to hit the streets if their men are arrested ahead of the polls.

Results of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections from 19 April to 1 June will be announced on 4 June.

Continuing her tirade against the central agency, Banerjee alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had gone to Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district without informing the local police.

"The Prime Minister is coming to West Bengal to address election rallies. I have no issues with that. But the way he is saying that stern action will be taken against the opposition over corruption after the Lok Sabha poll results is unacceptable," she said.

Addressing an election rally in Jalpaiguri on Sunday, PM Modi had claimed that while he says "remove corruption", the opposition says "save the corrupt", promising more stringent action against the corrupt after 4 June.

"Is this how a Prime Minister should speak? What if I say I will put BJP leaders in jail after the election? But I will not say this as this is unacceptable in a democracy," Banerjee said. "This is actually 'Modi ki guarantee', putting all opposition leaders in jail after 4 June."

The TMC chief also said the BJP has "in reality turned the country and democracy into a jail", claiming that "in one pocket you have the ED and CBI while in the other you have the NIA and income tax. They are your allies, who are used to threatening us. But the BJP cannot scare us".

Hitting out at the BJP for raiding the houses of TMC leaders at night, the chief minister said, "Henceforth, if TMC leaders are arrested by the agencies, their wives will hit the streets. We are not scared of these agencies."

An NIA team was allegedly attacked by a mob on Saturday when it went to arrest two key suspects in a 2022 blast case in Purba Medinipur district, sparking a political slugfest, with Banerjee accusing the investigators of assaulting the villagers.

"Sending agencies to harass women in the area at midnight and later claiming that these women attacked the NIA personnel is unacceptable. Law and order fall under the jurisdiction of the state. It is not appropriate to avoid informing the local police and to attack women at 3.00 am, only to inform the local police at 5.00 am. Such actions are not acceptable," she said.

Banerjee also slammed the Centre over the arrest of tribal leader and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal and said, "Why did you arrest a tribal leader and chief minister Hemant Soren? I spoke with his wife yesterday."

Soren was arrested by the ED in January in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. "Why was Arvind Kejriwal arrested? He is working from jail. His arrest won't make any difference as he will win the election next time with a bigger margin," she said.

Taking a swipe at PM Modi for not announcing relief for those affected in Jalpaiguri by a freak tornado on 31 March, Banerjee said, "The BJP government at the Centre is neither announcing it (relief) nor allowing us to do anything, by claiming it will be a violation of the MCC (model code of conduct).

"The Prime Minister held a meeting in Jalpaiguri yesterday. But he didn't utter a single word about providing any relief to the people of Jalpaiguri who lost their family members or whose houses were damaged in the massive storm," she said.