Gangasagar, Jan 5 (PTI) Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would move court against the EC’s SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal, alleging fear, harassment and administrative arbitrariness that she claimed had led to deaths and hospitalisations, as she sharpened her confrontation with the poll body ahead of the assembly polls.
Addressing a government programme at Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas, among the worst-hit districts in terms of voter deletion in draft list, in the first phase of the SIR, Banerjee escalated her attack on the EC, alleging that opaque digital processes, including artificial intelligence and informal platforms, were being used to arbitrarily delete names from electoral rolls, undermining democratic safeguards.
Responding to the statement, the BJP said she can move court but will not be able to “protect infiltrators” who are her vote bank.
“This is a fight for existence. We are seeking legal help. So many people have died due to SIR. We are moving court tomorrow against the inhumane treatment and the death of so many people due to the SIR,” she said, adding that she was prepared to escalate the legal battle if necessary.
The CM said she would seek permission to approach the Supreme Court not as a lawyer but as an ordinary citizen.
“If necessary, I will go to the Supreme Court and plead for the people. I will speak for the people,” she said, recalling that she was legally trained.
Alleging a “technological conspiracy”, Banerjee said opaque digital processes had replaced due process, with artificial intelligence and informal platforms being used to strike off names.
“Artificial Intelligence has emerged now. Using images and voices, lies can be spread. Names are being removed using AI,” she alleged, claiming that lakhs of names had been deleted without giving voters adequate opportunity to respond through statutory forms.
“AI is deciding whose surname has changed, who got married, which girl has gone to her in-laws’ house. Even a murderer gets a chance to defend himself. Here, people’s names are being removed,” Banerjee said, arguing that routine events like marriage, address changes or minor spelling mismatches between English and Bangla were being used to justify deletions.
On December 16, the Election Commission published the draft electoral roll after the first phase of the SIR, with the electorate dropping from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore following the deletion of over 58 lakh names.
The second phase, which began on December 27, involves hearings of 1.67 crore electors under scrutiny, including 1.36 crore flagged for logical discrepancies and 31 lakh whose records lack mapping.
The election to 294 member strong assembly is due in three months and TMC is seeking a straight fourth term.
Banerjee also alleged that government-issued documents, including caste certificates, were being ignored during verification, and questioned the conduct of the poll body, claiming it was being “run on WhatsApp”.
“If people’s rights are taken away, you too will vanish,” she warned Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, urging citizens to verify their names on the draft rolls despite the hardship. “This is a struggle for survival and to protect rights,” she said.
Banerjee alleged that elderly citizens, pregnant women and voters on oxygen support were being called for hearings.
“After living in this country for so long, do they still need to prove that they are voters and citizens?” Banerjee asked, claiming that nearly 70 people had died since the exercise began and several others had attempted suicide.
“Two months, nearly 70 people have died. Does no heart ache? If your 85-year-old mother were dragged into an ambulance, what answer would Delhi’s leaders give?” she said, questioning whether those ordering deletions had ensured that their own parents possessed all required certificates.
The CM questioned the pace of the revision, arguing that voter list corrections should be spread over two years rather than pushed through in a few months. “We want names to be included, not excluded. Why this coercion?” Questioning the relevance of documents being demanded, Banerjee said Aadhaar cards were issued by the government after charging fees but were now being rendered meaningless.
She said that her party was not opposed to verification per se, but objected to what she termed its coercive implementation.
The TMC boss also pointed out that documentation norms had evolved over generations. “Earlier, childbirth used to happen at home. Even I was born at home,” she said.
The escalation comes a day after Banerjee wrote to the CEC, urging an immediate halt to what she described as an “arbitrary and flawed” SIR.
Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said Banerjee was free to approach the judiciary, and claimed that she would not be able to “protect infiltrators who are the TMC’s core vote bank”.
The EC and the BJP have rejected allegations of arbitrariness, maintaining that the SIR is aimed at ensuring clean and accurate electoral rolls.
Banerjee also alleged intimidation of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states and challenged what she described as majoritarian politics.
“I dare them to kill me, but I will not stop speaking my mother tongue, Bengali. Is it a crime now?” she asked.
She accused the BJP of keeping a pattern of pre-poll inducements followed by repression. “They will give Rs 10,000 before elections and use the bulldozer once it’s over,” she said. “You can torture as much as you want, it won’t yield results.” PTI AMR PNT NN
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.