Concerns over SIR not heard, told SC will decide it: TMC after meeting with EC

Kolkata: West Bengal's ruling TMC on Monday alleged that its concerns over the SIR exercise were not heard at the pre-poll consultation meeting with the full bench of the Election Commission.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the three-member delegation of the party was told that since the TMC has gone to the Supreme Court on the issue, it will be decided by there, and the EC has nothing to do with it.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and West Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal, held the meeting with representatives of various political parties at a hotel in New Town near Kolkata.

"I am a woman, and I was told 'don't shout'. Why should I not raise my voice when we are speaking about people's rights?" Bhattacharya said, claiming that the EC repeatedly cited the matter being sub judice in the Supreme Court whenever they tried to raise concerns over the SIR exercise.

"Whenever we spoke about SIR, they said the matter is in the Supreme Court. If that is the case, why did they call us for the meeting? When they have invited us, they must listen to what we have to say," she added.

Bhattacharya said it was the TMC's responsibility to protect the people.

"Was it wrong for us to go to the Supreme Court? We did the right thing. Why should we not go?" she asked.

Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who was a part of the delegation, claimed that a "false perception" was being created about the presence of infiltrators in West Bengal, leading to harassment of genuine Indian citizens.

"Over the last two months, not a single infiltrator or Rohingya has been identified, but ordinary Indian citizens are being harassed and forced to prove their nationality," he claimed.

He alleged that thousands of people were being made to stand in long queues during the exercise, and many had fallen ill and died during the process.

Maintaining that the right to vote is a constitutional right, he alleged that removing names of genuine citizens from the electoral rolls would be "unconstitutional".

Asked how many phases of the election the party sought from the EC, the two leaders said it does not matter.

What matters is that genuine voters are not excluded by the EC under the influence of the BJP, they said.

Former DGP and TMC Rajya Sabha candidate Rajeev Kumar was also in the delegation.