Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that she would travel to other countries and expose the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in front of the world if names of genuine voters are deleted from the electoral rolls in the state through a Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
“If there are atrocities against Bengal and names of genuine voters are deleted, I would travel the world. I will expose you in front of the whole world. I won’t stay silent. If there is injustice against the land and language, I will let the whole world know how the rights of the people are being infringed upon in an undemocratic manner,” Banerjee said while addressing a gathering in West Bengal’s Jhargram district.
Banerjee led a rally — Bhasha Andolan (linguist movement) — in Jhargram to protest against the alleged atrocities against Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states.
“The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo is adept at staging drama and telling lies. Can she prove that names of genuine voters are being deleted? Only names of Bangladeshis, Rohingyas, dead voters, and duplicate voters, among others, are being deleted. Her party has survived because of these fake and illegal voters. The chief minister’s post is a constitutional post. How can she attack a constitutional body while holding on to that post? Is she above the Constitution?” BJP legislator Shankar Ghosh said.
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{{/usCountry}}Banerjee also slammed the Election Commission of India (ECI) for suspending four West Bengal government officers.
The poll panel had suspended two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) on Tuesday for allegedly adding names of fictitious voters to the electoral roll and compromising data security. The poll panel also directed the state’s chief secretary to lodge FIRs against the four officers and a casual data entry operator. The two EROs are West Bengal civil service (executive) officers.
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“Government officers are being threatened. Yesterday, two of my government officers were suspended. The state was directed to lodge FIRs against them. Has the election been announced? Under which law are you (ECI) directing us? I won’t do this. I won’t punish them,” she added.
With West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled to be held in 2026, the poll panel has asked political parties in the state to submit a list of their booth level agents, and training is being imparted to Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
A political row has erupted in the state, with the ruling TMC alleging that the BJP is trying to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the guise of SIR.
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“They (ECI) are the bonded labour of the BJP. They are acting as agents of (union home minister) Amit Shah and the BJP. The home minister thinks whatever he says will happen. With respect to the ECI, I would say that it is a puppet in the hands of the Shah,” Banerjee alleged.
Officials from the chief electoral officer in West Bengal’s office declined to comment on the statements made by Banerjee.