Welcoming the Supreme Court’s order to the Election Commission (EC) to publish the names of electors who have been summoned for “logical discrepancies” as part of the ongoing SIR exercise in West Bengal, TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday said the BJP’s “conspiracy” to get 1 crore names in the voters’ list has been foiled.
“I am very happy today. Today, the Supreme Court has accepted TMC’s demand and issued an order to publish the list of logical discrepancies. As far as I know, BLA 2 (Booth Level Assistants) will also be allowed in the hearing centre,” said Abhishek, adding, “once the list is published, the truth will become clear”.
“The BJP’s SIR game is over. One crore names that were targeted to be struck off from the voters’ list have been saved, and the victory belongs to the people of Bengal,” the TMC MP from Diamond Harbour said as he addressed people in Barasat in North 24 Parganas as part of his Jitbe Abar Bangla yatra.
“This is a victory of ‘Maa Mati Manush’ and the people of West Bengal over those who tried to pick and choose one crore citizens and delete their names from the electoral rolls. The Supreme Court gave two tight slaps on the faces of those who not only tried to starve the people of West Bengal, but also attempted to deprive them of their fundamental right to vote,” Abhishek, considered the number two in the TMC, said.
“We defeated them in court today, we will trounce them during the polls in April. Stay prepared, West Bengal is not UP, Bihar, MP, or Gujarat. This state showed the path to the nation’s Independence struggle, its renaissance. We do not bow our heads before outsiders,” he added.
“Today, the BJP and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi have been defeated in the Supreme Court. In the coming days, we will trounce them in the polls. West Bengal is not Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, or Gujarat. This land has shown the way to the freedom movement and the Renaissance. The people of Bengal never bow their heads before the outsiders,” said Abhishek.
Meanwhile, the state Chief Electoral Officer’s office said that it is waiting to receive a copy of the Supreme Court order. “We are preparing ourselves for any change or any direction. Whenever the Election Commission orders, we will obey it… We have no problem in publishing the list of those who were served notice for logical discrepancies. Whenever the EC gives us order, we will publish that list within the stipulated time,” a senior official at the CEO’s office said.
The Supreme Court on Monday, after hearing petitions filed by TMC leaders alleging procedural irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, ordered the Election Commission to display the names of people issued summons for ‘logical discrepancy’ in the gram panchayat bhavan and block office of every taluka as well as ward office.
The Supreme Court also directed the EC that the affected electors be permitted to submit their documents/objections through their authorised representatives, such as BLA.
With Atri Mitra