West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched an attack on the Election Commission after she met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi over the Special Intensive Review (SIR) issue. Speaking to the press after meeting EC officials, Mamata Banerjee said she had never seen an election commission “as arrogant and dishonest as this”.
Wearing a black scarf in protest, Mamata Banerjee said, “We are hurt and distressed. I have been in politics for many years. I have served as a four-time minister and a seven-time MP, but I have never seen an election commission as arrogant and dishonest as this. We told them that we respect this institution because no seat should go before just anyone like that, but shouldn’t Bengal be dangerous?” Also read | Mamata Banerjee claims 3-4 people die by suicide every day due to anxiety over EC activities
“Elections are a festival of democracy. But what have you done? First you excluded thousands of people and didn’t even give them a chance to defend themselves. Decisions are made in the name of AI…Even in cases of serious crimes like murder, if someone doesn’t get a lawyer, the judiciary will ensure the right to defend themselves. If someone says, ‘I want to defend myself, they were here,’ but go without the people to protect themselves, go without the one who is protected,85 lak. or what happened,” she said.
Meanwhile, EC officials said Mamata Banerjee left the meeting with the CEC on the SIR issue upset without hearing the EC top officials’ response to the questions she had raised. “When the CEC started reacting, TMC leaders joined in on various occasions. She was agitated and left the meeting upset,” they said. Also read | ‘AI deleted 54k names’ – Mamata Banerjee’s big claim, threatens gherao EC office in Delhi
The CEC told the TMC leaders that “law rules” and anyone who takes the law into their hands will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the provisions of the law and the powers vested in the Election Commission (EC), they said, PTI reported.
CEC Kumar informed the TMC leadership that its MLAs were openly using insulting and threatening language against the Commission, especially targeting the Chief Election Commissioner, the news agency reported. He also highlighted incidents of TMC workers and MLAs vandalizing offices of voter registration officers.