West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has warned people of West Bengal against filling up any form by the Election Commission of India (ECI) related to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) without “knowing the details.”
During a public programme at Jhargram on Wednesday, Banerjee said, “Without knowing the details, don’t fill up any form. They (ECI) have different plans. They will delete names from the voter list. They have plans to include new names in the list… They are basically trying to carry out NRC (National Register of Citizens), we will not allow NRC in Bengal.”
Banerjee had already announced that she would not suspend state government officials as the ECI had directed. A day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered action against five government officials over alleged voter fraud, Banerjee hit back on Wednesday, declaring she would go to any extent to protect her officers.
Banerjee accused the ECI of acting under BJP’s influence. “Government workers are being intimidated. Two officers were served suspension notices yesterday. Have the elections even been announced yet? Which law allows them to be suspended at this stage? It is our responsibility to protect you all. We will do that,” she said.
The ECI had directed the suspension of five officers — including two West Bengal Civil Service officers and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers — in connection with the alleged fraudulent registration of 127 voters using forged documents in Baruipur Purba and Moyna Assembly constituencies. A data entry operator has also been named in the FIR for criminal misconduct. The action followed a report submitted by the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal.
Criticising the ECI’s move, Banerjee said, “They have started suspending people even though a long time is left before elections. They (ECI) are the bonded labour of BJP. (Home Minister Amit Shah) thinks whatever he says will happen.”
On Thursday, she again attacked the ECI: “They are asking those who are born after 2006, to show a birth certificate. I would ask — when I assumed power in West Bengal, 60% of people didn’t have a birth certificate — how can they show it? We have only school certificates. Those who made the law, have they a birth certificate? They were born with a golden spoon, how can they realise the problem of labourers?”
She also again criticised alleged attacks on Bengali-speaking people in different states of the country. She said, “In which language is the national anthem written? Rabindranath Tagore used to speak in which language? Our ten rupees note was written in Bengali and they (BJP) are saying Bengali is not an (Indian) language.”