'Chor bazar': Rahul on appointment of former CEO as Bengal’s new chief secretary
Telegraph | 13 May 2026
The Opposition has accused the first BJP government in Bengal and the Election Commission of operating in “collusion” after former chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal was appointed the state’s new chief secretary and EC's former special roll observer Subrata Gupta was named "adviser" to chief minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, described the BJP-EC relationship as a “chor bazar” while reacting to the appointments on X.
Sharing a news report on the dual appointments, Gandhi wrote in Hindi: “BJP-EC ke chor bazar mein - jitni badi chori, utna bada inaam.”
It translates as: "In the BJP-EC’s thieves’ market, the bigger the theft, the bigger the reward."
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the appointments exposed a “brazen collusion and connivance” between the BJP and the Election Commission.
“These appointments reflect the brazen collusion and connivance between the ECI and the BJP. There is no longer even an attempt to keep the collusion discrete or concealed,” Ramesh said.
The Trinamool Congress also intensified its attack, claiming the developments reinforced long-standing doubts over the neutrality of the Election Commission.
Trinamool MP Sagarika Ghose posted on X: “The so-called ‘neutral umpire’ is rewarded with the post of top bureaucrat of the BJP dispensation in Bengal. Does anyone still seriously believe BengalElections2026 were free and fair? Outrageous and brazen.”
Earlier, Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee, sharing a picture on Facebook, had first flagged Agarwal’s presence at Suvendu’s administrative meeting on Monday, triggering the political row.
CPM state secretary Md Salim slammed the way the two officers were appointed at "lightning speed" to the top posts of the government. He termed the appointment a "special gratitude", raising doubts about their fairness while performing electoral responsibilities.
Speaking to the reporters, Salim said that the appointment "put a shadow and doubt on how the election was conducted as the Chief Electoral Officer was appointed as the chief secretary immediately after the election and before the dust settled and the special observer as the special adviser to the chief minister".
"This is out of a special gratitude to their performance in the way they have conducted the election," Salim added.
Reacting to the allegations, a senior BJP leader in Calcutta defended the appointments.
“The appointments of Manoj Agarwal and Subrata Gupta are merit-based and aimed at restoring governance standards. There is nothing illegal in them,” the BJP leader said.