Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday claimed that party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has created history by arguing before the Supreme Court of India to safeguard what it described as the democratic rights of the people of Bengal.
“This is for the first time that a Chief Minister of a state has taken the fight to the apex court against the Election Commission of India. The ECI has hatched a conspiracy against Bengal and triggered a procession of death in the name of implementing the SIR rolls.
The Commission is acting at the instruction of the Bharatiya Janata Party. In the first round of arguments, the Chief Minister has secured a moral victory.
The Supreme Court felt that torture was being inflicted on people in the name of logical discrepancies,” Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said. Senior party leader and state minister Shashi Panja said the entire country had witnessed a constitutional battle led by Banerjee.
“In the name of SIR, people are being harassed, and the fear of deletion from electoral rolls has even led to tragic deaths,” she said, adding that the fight in the Supreme Court would ensure protection of voters’ rights.
In a post on X, Trinamool Congress claimed a “big win”, saying the Supreme Court had issued notice to the ECI in the SIR matter and directed officials to act with sensitivity, while also observing that micro-observers may not be required.
The party further claimed that Banerjee argued the case wearing a lawyer’s coat and presented facts before
the court. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, speaking to reporters in Parliament, said Banerjee’s earlier discussions with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on the SIR issue “came to nothing”, alleging arrogance and political bias. Banerjee returned to Kolkata on Wednesday evening.