Mayawati backs Mamata, says Modi-Shah targeting her is 'dangerous and unjust'

Expressing solidarity with West Bengal Chief Mamata Banerjee, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati lashed out at RSS and BJP accusing them for orchestrating violence in the state.

Expressing solidarity with West Bengal Chief Mamata Banerjee, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati lashed out at the RSS and the BJP accusing them of orchestrating violence in the state. 

“It is clear that PM Modi, Amit Shah and their leaders are targeting Mamata Banerjee, its planned targeting. This is a very dangerous and unjust trend and one which doesn't suit the PM of the country,” said Mayawati on Thursday.

“The Election Commission has banned campaigning in West Bengal, but from 10 pm today just because PM has two rallies in the day. If they had to ban then why not from today morning? This is unfair and EC is acting under pressure,” she added.

In first such action in India's electoral history, the Election Commission on Wednesday ordered campaigning in nine West Bengal constituencies to end at 10 pm on Thursday, a day before its scheduled deadline in the wake of violence between BJP and Trinamool Congress workers in Kolkata. Strongly condemning the act of violence, the EC invoked Article 324 and took the decision to restrict campaigning time in the nine parliamentary seats in West Bengal - Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, South and North Kolkata.

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah of carefully planning a “strategy” to create ruckus in the state, the former UP chief minister said, “Bengal has been in the news ever since Lok Sabha poll dates were announced. The RSS and BJP is behind this”

The BSP chief claims that all this is to distract voters from Modi's shortcomings. 

Banerjee later took to Twitter to thank Mayawati and other Opposition leaders for their support. 

“Thanks and gratitude to @Mayawati, @yadavakhilesh, @INCIndia, @ncbn and others for expressing solidarity and support to us and the people of #Bengal. EC's biased actions under the directions of the #BJP are a direct attack on democracy. People will give a befitting reply,”she tweeted.

Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav are slated to address a joint rally in PM Modi's constituency Varanasi on Thursday to seek votes for gathbandhan (alliance) candidate Shalini Yadav.