Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday rebuked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for “misusing” institutions. He also attacked the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal.
Talking to the media after the party delegation's meeting with the EC, the Trinamool Congress general secretary alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar lost his cool as the TMC members spoke and even pointed fingers at him.
He also dared Kumar to release the footage of their meeting.
"They think that by raising their voice and speaking aggressively, everyone will be silenced. When we started speaking, he began losing his temper. He tried to stop some of us and pointed fingers at me. I then stated that you are a nominated official, but I am an elected representative. You are answerable to your masters, but I am answerable to the masses who elected me, for whom we have come here to ensure that no legitimate voter is deleted from the list... If he has the courage, let him release the footage. I am standing very close to the ECI office," Abhishek said.
"Gyanesh Kumar must be hearing what I am saying to the media right now. If he has the courage, he should come down, face the media, and rebut every point I am making, rather than making selective leaks after 8 pm. What is stopping him? Does he think the people of Bengal are his subservient? Apart from two-three questions, he has failed. Does he think the people of Bengal, and we MPs, ministers, and MLAs elected by the people, are bonded labourers or slaves?" he asked.
TMC’s apprehensions over SIR
A delegation from the Trinamool Congress met the Election Commission on Wednesday to flag nearly ten concerns, chief among them the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
Senior party leader Abhishek Banerjee alleged that manipulation was taking place through the voter list and the software systems. He urged other like-minded political parties to come together and raise these concerns collectively and in a proactive manner.
