Kolkata: Raising concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise within a short span of time in Bihar, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday once again reiterated that PM Modi and his Cabinet should resign, and the Lok Sabha be dissolved if the Election Commission of India (ECI) believes that there are discrepancies in the electoral rolls. He was speaking to the reporters at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
Banerjee stated that the ECI cannot selectively assert the accuracy of the voter list in states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh while doubting its validity in others such as Bihar or Bengal.
“Rules cannot be different for different states; it should be the same for all states,” he added.
He also pointed out that “if the Central government has been elected based on the same voter list which the ECI claims erroneous, then the legitimacy of the government should stand null and void”.
Abhishek alleged that the BJP pushed for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, knowing it would lose the upcoming Assembly elections later this year if voters exercised their franchise.
“If the SIR of electoral rolls is conducted, and if the ECI is saying that there are discrepancies in the electoral rolls. The first step should be the resignation of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, and the Lok Sabha has to be dissolved. Then SIR should be held across the country,” Banerjee told reporters. Lok Sabha polls in the country were held in 2024 on the basis of the same voter list. If the voters are not eligible, the Central government has no right to be in power, Banerjee also pointed out.
Based on this voter list, the Prime Minister was elected, and so were more than 240 Lok Sabha MPs of the BJP.
“The MPs elected based on this voter list will also elect the country’s President and the Vice-President,” he added. He also stated that if there were discrepancies in the voter list, the first step should be taken against the then Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, under whom the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were held in the country.
Banerjee sharply reacted to the “high-handedness” of the Delhi police and the way the opposition MPs were treated during Monday’s ECI gherao. “We went to the ECI with 4-5 questions. They did not meet us as they have no answers to our questions. All the opposition parties are saying ECI’s decision to carry out SIR was not correct.
“It was a peaceful protest, but we have seen how Delhi Police handled the women MPs,” Banerjee said.
He also said that the Opposition’s protest cannot be silenced in this manner. “If required, the ECI office in Delhi will be gheraoed again,” Banerjee warned.