Kolkata, Apr 16 (India Today): The Trinamool Congress (TMC) landed itself in a soup once again today when party Vice President Abdul Mannan gave a 'threatening' speech while campaigning for Monirul Islam in Birbhum's Labpur constituency.

In the public meeting, he said that if the polls are not in favour of the TMC, the party would deprive the ones going against it of all facilities. Mannan also threatened to strip off benefits availed by Below Poverty Line (BPL), Above Poverty Line (APL) or even handicapped voters.

"I am warning everyone that they must cast their votes in our favor. We have 1032 voters and if 900 people cast their votes, we don't expect more than 40-50 people go against us. If our party doesn't receive enough votes then I would know that people have betrayed us," Abdul Mannan said.

The TMC leader advised people to go in pairs to cast their votes so that he knows who voted for whom. However, he was hopeful that the elections will proceed peacefully.

"For the entire year we looked after the welfare of the people. If they do not give sufficient votes to our party then there will be adverse effects," Mannan added.
Earlier this week, the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a showcause notice to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for violating the poll code.

The poll panel has placed Birbhum District President Anubrata Mondal under close watch.

Opposition parties have claimed that Mondal had allegedly threatened voters and openly warned of 'vanishing them' if they do not vote for the TMC. Political parties also said that the Birbhum district has become a hotbed of violence with reports of clashes every now and then.