New Delhi, Nov 29 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress on Saturday challenged the Election Commission of India to release a transcript of the meeting of a party delegation with the panel’s top brass, as it once again alleged several deaths in West Bengal during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
At a press conference here, TMC MPs, including the party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien, Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale and Lok Sabha MPs Pratima Mondal and Sajda Ahmed, accused the poll panel of not answering their questions.
O’Brien also said that they want the functioning of the Election Commission to be discussed in the upcoming Parliament session.
A ten-member TMC delegation met the EC top brass on Friday, and accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of having “blood on his hands”, amid allegations of deaths related to the SIR process in West Bengal.
EC officials, meanwhile, said that they told the TMC delegation that while political rhetoric is their prerogative, they should refrain from spreading “misinformation” relating to election procedures.
Speaking at the press conference, O’Brine accused the poll panel of spreading “false narratives”. He also questioned why the EC could not issue an official press release over the issue.
“Some fake narrative may come out again. Because what will happen? Who is pressurising these BLOs? Let it be known today on the 29th of November, the BLOs are being pressurised because of the work they have been given through the Election Commission of India,” O’Brien said.
“The Trinamool Congress as a responsible political party is doing whatever it can. How much more to alert the EC that they don’t rush through this exercise. Please don’t rush through this exercise,” he added.
The TMC Rajya Sabha leader added that the party is not against the SIR exercise, but against the manner in which it is being undertaken.
He alleged the poll panel has not answered the five questions raised by them during Friday’s meeting, and said they should release the transcript of the meeting.
“Now the question is, if we are saying all this, all 10 of us MPs, then why don’t you release the transcript of what was discussed at yesterday’s meeting?” he said.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had urged the poll panel to release a video of the meeting on Friday.
Gokhale, meanwhile, said that while the CEC spoke extensively on Bihar SIR, and “everything under the sun”, he did not answer the questions asked by the TMC MPs.
The TMC leader said that a discussion around the EC should be held in the upcoming Parliament session, adding that it is TMC’s “contention” that “the government reports to Parliament and Parliament reports to the people. If the BJP is not being accountable to people, it will be responsible of disrupting Parliament.” “We want Parliament to run,” he said.
A TMC delegation on Friday alleged before the EC top brass that around 40 SIR-related deaths had occurred in West Bengal, a charge junked by the poll authority.
The TMC MPs asked the poll body about the claim that the exercise would weed out non-citizens, and questioned why the exercise was not being undertaken in the northeastern states, which also face the risk of infiltration as they share borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar.
They also questioned how the electoral roll, on which the last Lok Sabha election was held, suddenly became “unreliable”. The MPs raised the issues of alleged deaths linked to the SIR process, and questioned who would take responsibility for it. Additionally, they expressed worries about the neutrality and effectiveness of the SIR process and noted a recent amendment in the rules by the poll panel that allows for the appointment of external booth level agents (BLAs).
The TMC further informed the CEC that BJP leaders in West Bengal are allegedly claiming that one crore voters’ names will be deleted. “The ECI has taken no cognisance of these comments, nor have they negated the fear-mongering by the BJP,” a TMC leader said.
A party source said they have compiled a list of 60 tragedies linked to SIR – 41 common people and 19 BLOs. Of the common individuals, 35 have died, and six are receiving medical attention. Among the 19 BLOs affected, four have died, while 15 are hospitalised or receiving care.
The SIR is currently underway in 12 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal. PTI AO MNK MNK
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