SIR, ECI BJP’s tools for silent rigging: TMC MP Ritabrata
The Statesman | 2 August 2025
Raising the opposition against Special Intensive Review (SIR) within the Parliament precincts, the Trinamul Congress MPS are protesting with banners and slogans. Today too the party MPs were vocal in their united stand against the SIR implementation in Bihar.
TMC MP Ritabrata Banerjee today said that the SIR and the ECI are being used as a double-edged weapon by the BJP to snatch away voting rights. The attempt to carry out identity-based verification and then NRC has already been exposed…..Like our national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said, it is “silent invisible rigging” because the BJP can’t come to power otherwise, said the TMC leader.
Continuing the tirade against the BJP and the Centre, Ritabrata said: “On one side deletion of names of genuine voter’s and on the other, identity-based verification is being done to implement NRC. This is crystal clear. There is an attempt to use the EC for its own good by the BJP. This is very unfortunate. They must remember that it is not easy to take away the rights of voters in Bengal. The BJP has understood that they cannot win elections unless they take away the voting rights of genuine voters. But till Mamata Banerjee is there they will not be able to do so. The govt is not agreeing to discuss on SIR which the opposition has been demanding.”
The trade union leader, who regularly visits the tea gardens in the Hills to find out the problems of the workers there, recently asked questions about the provident fund dues of the tea garden workers, which are under the control of the central government. Talking about the due PF amount of the workers from Karbala, New Doors, Banarhat, Choonabhutti, run by Andrew Yule company, The INTTUC leader said, “Before the session of Parliament started, our union had a convention with the workers of the four tea gardens, I was also present. The workers told me that since September 2023 their PF money was not getting deposited. The govt in its reply (heavy industries ministry) has agreed that the money is outstanding. What the govt has replied is scary. According to the data of the govt, the outstanding amount of these four garden workers is Rs 9.81 crore. This is their hard-earned money. They have also given reasons for the company losses due to various reasons but these poor workers are distressed.
“It is an offence to not submit the money. Will the Centre file a case against Andrew Yule? The people here are finding out the difference between the state and centre. Cha Sundari, land patta handover to residents, creche for children of these workers or rise in wages or health centres for them, the state govt has done a lot and the people are realising the difference bwtween the state and central governments. Due to this, in the LS election or the Madarihat bypoll, out of 100 booths in tea garden areas, we won in 81 of them,” said the MP.