Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 2: Bringing the battle over the “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) exercise in West Bengal to Delhi, the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who called on the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, walked out of his office on Monday accusing him of merely “parroting” the ruling BJP’s lines.
After meeting the top three Election Commission officials, she gave an open threat: “I can get lakhs of people to Delhi to parade before the Election Commission.” She also alleged that she was “insulted and humiliated” by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during the meeting.
Sources said the Bengal chief minister kept making false allegations and even “beat her hand on the table” despite the top three Election Commission officials showing restraint and being polite to her. Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari called the chief minister’s Delhi visit “dramabazi “a drama).
Ms Banerjee, accompanied by Trinamool Congress MPs and 12 voters from West Bengal — five of whom were declared dead and had their names deleted from the electoral rolls during the ongoing SIR— met the EC to raise objections. The delegation had black shawls on as a mark of protest.
With all major parties including the ruling BJP at the Centre campaigning hard for the Bengal assembly election, Banerjee has been raising allegations against the Election Commission of misusing the voter roll clean-up exercise special intensive revision (SIR) to exclude genuine voters.
To make her case, she asked the EC why it did not conduct the SIR exercise in BJP-ruled Assam, which has historically seen tension and conflict over the issue of illegal immigration and demographic change. She alleged Bengal and Kerala have been unfairly targeted by the poll body, which she described as “BJP’s agent.”
“I have never seen an Election Commission like this, one that is so arrogant. They are great liars. We told them that we respect the chair because no chair is permanent for anybody. You, too, will have to go someday. But don’t create such a precedent. And why is Bengal being targeted again and again?” Banerjee told reporters after meeting the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and the two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. e.
In his response, the chief election commissioner calmly explained to Banerjee the rule of law and why nobody should take the law in their hands, sources said. Any such move would be dealt with strictly as per the provisions of law and powers given by the Commission, they said. The Trinamool MLAs who accompanied the Bengal chief minister used abusive and threatening language against the poll body and the chief election commissioner, sources said.
The Election Commission officials told Team Mamata that Trinamool workers and MLAs have vandalised the poll body’s offices and structures in Bengal several times. They reminded Banerjee there should be no pressure, obstruction or interference of any kind on officials engaged in the SIR exercise.
Suvendu Adhikari alleged the chief minister is hatching a conspiracy against the voter rolls clean-up exercise with help of senior bureaucrats. “Their hidden agenda is to ensure the election happens with the previous voter roll. It is being intentionally done, as part of their conspiracy,” the BJP leader said.
The Bengal chief minister has written several letters to the CEC, raising concerns over the conduct of the SIR exercise. In her most recent letter to the CEC on January 31, she alleged the methodology and approach of the exercise went beyond the provisions of the Representation of the People Act and relevant rules, causing “immense inconvenience and agony” to citizens.
The Chief Minister alleged that West Bengal was being “deliberately targeted” and claimed that 58 lakh voters had been removed from the rolls without being given a chance to defend themselves. She questioned why the SIR exercise was not being conducted in BJP-ruled States and was limited to Opposition-ruled West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. She said her party did not oppose SIR in principle, but it should not have been carried out in a “hurried manner.”
“…If you had to do SIR, you should have left the election-bound States out of it and undertaken it with proper planning. You have a BJP government in Assam. You didn’t do SIR in Assam, but you did it in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu,” Ms Banerjee said.
Accusing the EC of attempting to “choose the government before the election,” the Chief Minister said she had “never seen an Election Commissioner so arrogant and such a liar” in her long political career. “You have the power of the BJP. We have the power of the people. So we boycotted the meeting. They insulted us, humiliated us. This type of Election Commission is very arrogant. He behaved deliberately and spoke with certain attitude. We came seeking justice; instead, he is doing injustice and telling lies. He is a great liar,” she alleged, adding that the CEC did not respond to five letters sent by her party.
Ms Banerjee further questioned the EC’s demand for documents such as “birth certificates” of voters’ parents. “I respect Advani ji and ask him whether he can provide the birth certificates of his father and mother,” she said, adding that she doubted whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi could furnish such documents for his parents. She also claimed that more than 150 people, including Booth Level Officers, had died during the SIR exercise. “I have brought 100 people with me. Some of them were declared dead in the voters list, yet they are alive and present here,” she said.
While asserting that she respects the Election Commission as an institution, Ms Banerjee said the present panel, especially CEC Kumar, was working under the BJP’s direction. “As long as he remains in the chair, it is dangerous for the country,” she added. She also accused the EC of paralysing her government and preventing it from functioning.
Earlier in the day, Ms Banerjee alleged that people from West Bengal had come to raise their issues with the EC but were being “threatened.” She also questioned the heavy police deployment outside Banga Bhawan, West Bengal’s State guest house in Delhi.
