Mamata sees ‘NRC conspiracy’ in Bengal Special Intensive Revision exercise

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Centre and the Election Commission (EC) of conspiring to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bengal through the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

She warned of a mass uprising if the name of any genuine voter was deleted from the list.

“A resident of Nadia has received a notice from the Assam government, which is related to the NRC. There is a deep-rooted conspiracy to delete names from electoral rolls in the name of SIR. Some agencies are indulging in dirty politics at the behest of the BJP. I condemn the role of such agencies. How can the Assam government send a notice to a Bengal citizen?” Banerjee said at a Press conference in Nabanna, holding the notice in her hand.

She alleged that the BJP was “playing with fire” in the name of the SIR and warned that any attempt to tamper with the voters’ list would amount to a “betrayal of democracy”.

Banerjee’s statement assumes significance as a team from the Election Commission in New Delhi is presently in Bengal to oversee the SIR exercise. The process has already been completed in Bihar, where the final voter list has been published and poll dates announced.

Reacting to media reports claiming that people in Bengal would have to submit all documents related to SIR within two months, Banerjee said: “The festive season is going on, and several parts of the state have been affected by natural calamities. How will people submit documents within two months? Many have gone on tour outside the state, while documents of several residents in North Bengal have been damaged in the recent natural calamity. The voting rights of any caste or creed should not be snatched away, and no genuine voter should be excluded.”

The Chief Minister alleged that EC officials were “threatening” officers of her government and acting “under political influence” even before the Assembly poll dates were announced.

Apparently referring to Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal, Banerjee claimed that an EC official supervising the SIR exercise “faces many allegations himself” and is “appointing corrupt officers”.

“He himself is accused of corruption and there is a conspiracy to cut votes under the pretext of SIR. I have the evidence. I hope he will not betray the country and democracy,” Banerjee said. Questioning how EC officials could summon state government officers before the poll schedule was declared, Banerjee also took exception to a Union minister’s reported remark that “1.5 crore voters will be removed immediately” after the SIR. “How can a Union minister say that 1.5 crore voters will be deleted? Are they deciding this in a party office? The Election Commission must decide whether it is impartial,” she said, referring to Union Minister and prominent Matua leader Shantanu Thakur.