New Delhi, March 3 (IANS) The BJP on Tuesday charged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with intentionally inciting controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to divert attention from her government's 'failures', and claimed that the Trinamool Congress was unsettled by the deletion of "ineligible" names from the voter lists.
Speaking to IANS, BJP National Spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain launched a scathing attack on CM Mamata Banerjee, alleging that she wanted even deceased persons to remain on the voter list.
“Mamata Banerjee wants even those who have passed away -- who are no longer alive -- to remain on the voter list,” Hussain said.
He further claimed that earlier, during Trinamool Congress’ rule, one of their workers’ names would appear in five constituencies, and he would move around casting votes throughout the day. “Now, technically, only one name appears in one place. The infiltrators’ names are being deleted. When all their names are deleted, they get very worried. In the election, they are going to lose badly. BJP is going to win,” he asserted.
Hussain also alleged that CM Mamata Banerjee was trying to divert attention from her government’s failures by raising questions over the SIR exercise and targeting the Election Commission. “She does not want her government’s work to be discussed, which is why she is making the SIR the main issue,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Bihar's Siwan, state Minister Ashok Choudhary also reacted to CM Banerjee’s remarks on the SIR process, advising her to seek legal recourse instead of making public statements.
“She herself has approached the Supreme Court, so what is the point of speaking before the public? She should go to the Supreme Court again. If she believes that the Election Commission has done something wrong, then she should appeal in the Supreme Court,” Choudhary said.
On the other hand, Congress leader Udit Raj expressed concern over the alleged deletion of voters’ names and did not rule out strong action by his party.
“We are not saying that yet. The party will decide when a situation arises. There is a high command, there is the party. It’s not that whatever I say will happen,” he said, responding to a question on boycotting the West Bengal elections.
“We wanted to express a concern that the names of our voters are being cut before our eyes, and they will not be able to vote. The BJP will win the election through fraudulence,” he alleged.
The controversy over the SIR exercise has intensified political tensions in West Bengal, with parties accusing each other of manipulating the electoral process ahead of the upcoming polls, even as the Election Commission maintains that the revision process is being carried out in accordance with established norms.
--IANS
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