People who make mistakes should be punished: Mamata

Days after some TMC activists including the son-in-law of a state minister were arrested in Malda for allegedly assaulting an Election Commission team, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said if people commit mistakes, they should be punished according to the law.

"We respect all constitutional bodies. If mistakes are committed, people should be punished according to the law," the Trinamool Congress chief told PTI in an interview.

Banerjee, who recently had a stand-off with EC over transfer of some officials on poll duty which ended after she agreed to replace them, however, took exception at the poll panel's alleged inaction over alleged violation of rules in Left-ruled Tripura."In Tripura, we saw the roads were filled with red flags and banners. Why did the EC not take action there"? she said.X

"Some big states are having elections in one phase. While some districts in Bengal have two-phase elections. Why"? Banerjee wondered.The Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal will be held in five phases between April 17 and May 12 along with by-elections to six Assembly seats.

"The Left should not lecture us on respecting EC. The Left Front Chairman in 2004 had talked about holding EC officials by the collar and throwing them out of Bengal," she said when asked to comment on his predecessor and CPI(M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee's criticism of her for the standoff with EC.

In Malda, a team of EC personnel who were taking video footage of a bike rally by TMC workers, which is banned under EC rule, were beaten up by persons including minister for social welfare Sabitri Mitra's son-in-law Samadip Sarkar who allegedly led the attack.