West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a fierce attack on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, describing it as “votebandi” and accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of creating a “super emergency” ahead of the polls.
‘SIR is votebandi, not revision’: CM takes aim at Centre and EC
Addressing the media after an administrative meeting at Uttarkanya in Siliguri, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the SIR process “a political ploy” to immobilise the state administration before elections.
“The state employees are being held back till February next year when the final rolls will be published. After that the elections will be announced. When will the state government work? It's a deliberate ploy to keep the government out of action for three months. This is like a super emergency implemented in the garb of SIR,” she said.
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Drawing a parallel with demonetisation, she said, “Just like notebandi, this is votebandi. The BJP-led central government is harassing people in the name of SIR.”
Banerjee accused the Election Commission of rushing through the process, claiming it was being done “forcibly” and without transparency. She alleged discrepancies in voter verification, citing cases where several eligible voters from the same household did not receive enumeration forms.
Questioning the EC’s authority, Banerjee said, “What right does the EC have to determine who is a citizen and who isn’t? This entire exercise is an insult to the people of Bengal.”
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‘Super emergency’ and Centre’s accountability questioned
The Trinamool Congress chief likened the SIR process to a “super emergency”, saying it was designed to keep the state machinery “out of action” for months. Referring to the legacy of former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan, Banerjee said the EC was meant to serve the people, not the ruling party.
“I remember when Mr Seshan was election commissioner, he said the EC is for the people, not the government. I am sorry to see its current leaders only yapping ‘yes sir' and ‘yes sir'. You could do this (SIR) in Bihar because you could get away with it, but not in Bengal, where we will question you at every step. You only want to satisfy your boss, not the public. You cannot demolish democracy,” the CM said.
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Turning her criticism toward the Union government, Banerjee questioned Home Minister Amit Shah over infiltration, stating, She further demanded that Shah resign, citing his long tenure and failure to address the issue effectively.
The Chief Minister also reignited her criticism of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), calling it a “blunder” and alleging that the Centre was diverting state funds under its banner.
