Kolkata: Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) for ordering suspension of four state government officers and a data entry operator over alleged lapses in preparing the electoral rolls. Banerjee also questioned the legality of the move.
Accusing the poll panel of acting at the behest of the BJP, Banerjee said her government would protect the employees and would not suspend them.
The ECI, on Tuesday, ordered action against five government officials over alleged voter irregularities.
State government workers are being intimidated, Banerjee alleged. ECI has been acting like a “puppet” in the hands of Union Home minister Amit Shah, Banerjee alleged further.
Calling the ECI, BJP’s “bonded labour”, Banerjee said: “The 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. We will not suspend them. They (Shah) think whatever he says will happen,” Banerjee said while addressing the language movement rally in Jhargram.
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 West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer.
Lashing out at Shah, she said: “They are asking for the birth certificates of people’s parents, where will they get those from? Amit Shah, do you have your parents’ birth certificates? Show that first!” Warning of street protests, Banerjee further stated, “When BJP leaders come here, we will hit the streets and protest. They held a meeting and said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) will be implemented. They cannot do anything.” Alleging that NRC notices are being sent to members of SC/ST communities in Bengal, Banerjee said: “This is unconstitutional and illegal. We strongly condemn this. Dhikkar, dhikkar (condemn, condemn)! There is a veiled attempt to implement NRC. Shame on the BJP! People are committing suicide out of fear of the NRC. Who will take responsibility for this?”
Attacking the ECI again, she alleged: “They have included names from Haryana and Gujarat. What kind of conspiracy is this? The conspiracy of implementing NRC through the back door will not be tolerated. We will not give up an inch of land without a fight,” she asserted.
She urged people not to respond to NRC notices and said, “How dare they serve NRC notices to people here? Do not respond to those notices. Live here in Bengal peacefully.” Attacking the BJP over SIR of electoral rolls, she stated: “Not a single elector should be omitted from the voter list in the name of SIR. They are trying to make a BJP list, not a voter list.”
Banerjee further alleged that the SIR exercise was part of a larger plan to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through the back door. “How can someone be branded a Bangladeshi just because he or she speaks in Bengali? This is nothing but a conspiracy to harass our people,” Banerjee said.
The Chief Minister once again said that her government will never implement NRC in Bengal and urged the people of Bengal not to respond to NRC notices.
“You have to protect your residence. Forget about the political party one belongs to and get united,” she said, adding: “They will have to implement NRC over my dead body. I will never accept the NRC.”
Banerjee’s Jhargram language movement rally saw widespread participation from migrant families, students, and local leaders, as Banerjee positioned herself again as the defender of Bengali pride, language and identity.
Meanwhile, rattled with the ECI’s “decision” to suspend four officials of the West Bengal government for alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, the WBCS (Executive) Officers’ Association wrote to Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant on Wednesday, seeking his intervention to get the order “reviewed”.
“It is our understanding that the officers concerned have been discharging their responsibilities sincerely under challenging circumstances and had no deliberate or mala fide intent behind any procedural lapse, if any, that may have occurred,” the letter stated.
“The suspension, in this context, appears to be a harsh measure and has caused deep concern among the officer community, potentially affecting morale during a period when dedication and neutrality in public service are most needed,” the letter further stated.
The officers’ body stated it believes that administrative action, particularly those which affect the service records and morale of career officers, “ought to be considered within the framework of fairness, due diligence and proportionality”.