'Modi ki guarantee' implies imprisoning opposition leaders after Lok Sabha elections: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee (L) and PM Narendra Modi

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) poll mantra and said 'Modi ki guarantee' implies putting all the opposition leaders behind bars.

"BJP has turned the entire country and democracy into a jail. 'Modi ki guarantee' means putting all opposition leaders in jail after June 4," she said during a rally in Bengal's Bankura.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief's statement comes a day after PM Modi, during a rally in Jalpaiguri, promised stringent action against the corrupt after June 4. The Prime Minister on April 7 alleged that TMC attacks central probe agencies to shield the corrupt. Results of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, beginning April 19, will be announced on June 4.

"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.

"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. This is actually 'Modi ki guarantee', putting all opposition leaders in jail after June 4," Banerjee alleged.

Sharpening her attack against PM Modi, the Bengal CM claimed that in one pocket he has the ED and CBI while in the other he has the NIA and Income Tax.

"They (probe agencies) are your allies, who are being used to threaten us (opposition). But the BJP cannot scare us. If TMC leaders are arrested by the agencies, then their wives will hit the streets. We are not scared of these agencies," Banerjee warned.

A team of the NIA was allegedly attacked by a mob on Saturday when it went to arrest two main 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 am, only to inform the local police at 5am. Such actions are not acceptable," she said.

The TMC boss further slammed the Centre over the arrests of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal. "Why did you arrest a tribal leader and chief minister Hemant Soren? 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.

While Soren was arrested by ED in January in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.