West Bengal CM walks out of meeting with CEC on SIR

PTI

New Delhi

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday walked out of a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR issue, accusing him of being “arrogant” and alleged that the poll panel had “humiliated” their delegation.

Wearing black shawls as a mark of “protest”, the TMC supremo, accompanied by party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and MP Kalyan Banerjee, and 12 members of “SIR-affected families” from West Bengal, met Chief Election Commissioner Kumar and fellow ECs here, her party said.

Banerjee, who has been demanding a halt to the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in her poll-bound state, later said they “boycotted” the meeting in protest, while Election Commission (EC) officials claimed she left in a huff without listening to the response of the EC top brass on the issues raised by her.

The CEC told the TMC leaders that the “rule of law will prevail” and anybody taking the law into their own hands will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the provisions of law and powers vested in the commission, the EC officials said. Talking to the media after coming out of the Election Commission’s headquarters here, the West Bengal CM launched a fresh tirade against the poll panel, accusing it of working as the BJP’s “dalal” (middleman).

“So many people have died, who is responsible? The EC is responsible. They are working at the behest of the BJP,” Banerjee alleged

“They behaved very badly with us, I said I am sorry we came here for justice; we did not get that, and you are lying. He is a great liar…,” she said.

“We said we will fight it on the ground. You have the power of the BJP, we have the power of the people. We boycotted the meeting and came out. They have insulted us, humiliated us… I have not seen this type of Election Commission…,” she alleged.

they are very arrogant … He talks with an attitude like he is Zamindar and we are servants,” she alleged.

However, EC officials said that the TMC leaders were given a patient hearing.

First TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee spoke, followed by Mamata Banerjee, the officials said, adding that the points raised by them were duly noted down by CEC Kumar and Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

“When the CEC started to respond, the TMC leaders interjected on multiple occasions. She was agitated and left the meeting in a huff,” an official said.

The CEC explained that  the “rule of law will prevail” and anybody taking the law into their own hands will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the provisions of law and powers vested in the Commission, they said.