BJP leaders turned into EC spokespersons: TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee
Kolkata: Claiming a nexus between the ruling BJP at the Centre and the Election Commission (EC), TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday said BJP leaders have literally become spokespersons of the poll panel, eroding its autonomy under the Narendra Modi-led government. Speaking to reporters at the city airport here on his return from Delhi, Banerjee said autonomous central agencies like the EC and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have become stooges of the Modi government and are being used by the BJP to harass opposition leaders like him without a shred of hard evidence. Accusing senior BJP leader and Union Minister Anurag Thakur of falsely claiming that bogus voters were included in the electoral rolls of Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat, the senior TMC leader said, "I had submitted proof to Anuragji about the existence of most of those genuine voters in my seat barring very few who had died in the meantime. There has been no word from him on the issue afterwards."
Asserting that "we are not afraid to face the electorate, unlike the BJP which seeks to win by fraudulent means in collusion with the EC," Banerjee questioned, "Why are BJP leaders like Anurag Thakur speaking in favour of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise on behalf of the EC?" Taking a swipe at Thakur, he said, "BJP leaders in Delhi make tall, absurd, and bogus claims. When confronted with facts, they never own up to their mistakes. Thakur has little understanding of Bengal and its people." On central agency probes, Banerjee said the CBI had investigated him for five years but failed to submit a case diary. He also expressed alarm over what he called a breach of confidentiality in dealings with the ED. "Once I handed over my documents to the ED as part of a probe. Later, I was stunned to hear a BJP leader referring to specific details from those documents. How are BJP leaders gaining access to confidential information submitted to supposedly independent agencies?" he asked. "That makes us realise — BJP is the EC, BJP is the ED," he added. He said with around 10 months to go before the assembly polls in West Bengal, there is fear of breach of trust in confidentiality if EC is in possession of certain data given by political parties for being used by the ruling party at Centre. Bannerjee also took a dig at the EC for not taking suo motu cognisance of the complaint by opposition regarding electoral malpractices like presence of bogus voters. Referring to the EC’s directive asking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to submit an affidavit regarding his allegations of voter fraud, Banerjee said, "The Chief Election Commissioner has bypassed the main issue. The EC has the authority to act on its own and does not require a written affidavit to probe electoral malpractice." Reiterating a demand he has raised earlier, Banerjee said, "If the EC is truly sceptical of the voters list, then the prime minister and his cabinet should resign, since they were elected based on that same list. Let them dissolve the Lok Sabha first." On the non-release of MGNREGA funds for Bengal, he said despite the Calcutta High Court having ordered payment of dues for 100 days work from August 1, the Centre has taken other legal option and "not a single penny has been released by the Narendra Modi government."
