TMC calls SIR ‘Software Intensive Rigging’, demands transparency

Kolkata: A day after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), in line with Trinamool Congress’s demands, the party held a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday.

The conference was attended by Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghose and Saket Gokhale. Calling the SIR process “Software Intensive Rigging”, the party said, “Our basic demand is transparency.”

On behalf of the party, Derek O’Brien expressed anguish over the manner in which the process is being carried out and urged the Election Commission to be “humane” towards voters, stating that the exercise has already led to several fatalities across the state.

During the press conference, the party also demanded the release of the complete six-hour transcription of the meetings held between the TMC delegation and the Election Commission.

O’Brien said, “It’s been 50 days since our meeting with the EC. Where is the transcription of those meetings? We have been patient, but everything has its limit.” He added that the party welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision and said that releasing the transcripts would allow people to understand the constructive suggestions made by the TMC.

The TMC accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of acting as a “stooge” of the Bharatiya Janata Party, citing his alleged proximity to Union Home minister Amit Shah. In support of this claim, the party said, “Who was the additional secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs when Article 370 was abrogated?—Vanish.”

Senior leader Sagarika Ghose said that elderly, ailing and other vulnerable citizens were being harassed unnecessarily. The party asserted, “This is not TMC versus anyone; this is the common citizen versus those who are trying to make the electoral process burdensome.”

The TMC clarified that it is not opposed to the Special Intensive Revision process itself but wants it to be “transparent”, “humane” and “not hasty”. The party also compared the SIR process underway in West Bengal with those conducted in other states

and asked, “How can the Model Code of Conduct be different for Bengal?”