SIR 2.0 | 'Poll body has blood on their hands': TMC on death of BLOs, EC tells party not to 'interfere'

The 10-member delegation, led by TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien, met the EC officials amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.

New Delhi: A Trinamool Congress delegation on Friday said it told Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar that he and the Election Commission “have blood on their hands” for the deaths due to the “completely unplanned, reckless and heartless” Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that is underway. 

On its part, the EC said it asked the Mamata Banerjee-led party “not to influence or threaten” officials involved in the exercise and abide by electoral laws.  It also wanted the Trinamool “not to interfere” with the independent functioning of BLOs, EROs and DEOs who are state government employees on deputation to election related works, according to EC officials.

Sharing a list of 40 people who died due to SIR, the ten-MP delegation led by Upper House floor leader Derek O'Brien also posed five questions to the EC, including whether it was meant to push Bengalis out of electoral rolls, even as it accused Kumar of not answering any of their concerns during his nearly "uninterrupted" one-hour response. Later, O'Brien disputed EC's claims on what it told the delegation, claiming it was a "bag full of lies".

Soon after the nearly two hour meeting, O'Brien told reporters that Lok Sabha Deputy Leader Shatabdi Roy handed over a list of 40 people, including 18 Booth Level Officers, who died during the SIR exercise in West Bengal to the CEC. He said they started the meeting with the CEC and other Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi by telling them that “Kumar and the EC have blood on their hands”.

He said the Trinamool is not opposed to the concept of SIR but “strongly against the completely unplanned” exercise in which the CEC and Election Commissioners were going ahead with their job in a  “completely heartless” manner. He claimed Kumar was surprised at the list of 40 deaths due to the SIR.

Sources said the CEC told the delegation that the exercise in Bihar was a "model" and sought their cooperation in the successful completion of the exercise. He said they were only deleting the names of non-citizens, dead, shifted and duplicate voters and it should not be a problem. Kumar wanted them to wait till December 9 when the draft roll will be published while asserting that there are at least two months to correct any anomalies.

In its counter, the EC said it gave a point-by-point rebuttal of all apprehensions and each allegation made by the delegation. It asked Trinamool "not to interfere" with the independent functioning of BLOs, EROs and DEOs who are state government employees on deputation to election related works, according to details shared 

It also asked Trinamool leaders "not to influence or threaten" the BLOs regarding dead, shifted and duplicate voters. The EC has also directed all District Electoral Officers to ensure new polling stations in high rise buildings and gated residential colonies, sources said adding Trinamool has been opposed to it. The poll body also asked why the enhanced honorarium for election officials has not been disbursed by the Bengal government. 

The EC also told the delegation in clear terms that preparation of electoral rolls as well as conduct elections in India are held as per the Constitution and electoral law and that it should abide by it. While political rhetoric is their prerogative, EC told the leaders, they should refrain from spreading misinformation relating to election procedures.

O'Brien rejected the EC version and said it was "a bag full of lies" and "nothing of this sort was said in the meeting."

Roy said they raised five questions, claiming that the SIR's "real purpose now feels deeply questionable". She asked if it meant to verify voters or to cast doubt on the very identity of Bengalis, as she pointed to the omission of Assam where only a "Special Revision" was announced. Besides O'Brien and Roy, senior MPs Kalyan Ray and Mahua Moitra also spoke in the meeting.

"Why are states like Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar left out of the process? BJP talks about infiltrators. If it’s about illegal migration, why are North-Eastern States which share a border with Myanmar not having an SIR? Only Bengal is being singled out. Was the SIR meant to protect the voter list or to quietly push Bengalis out of it?" she said.

Another question raised by the delegation was about the veracity of Lok Sabha results if the electoral rolls used for it were considered not good enough and unreliable within a year. The delegation also asked the poll panel about who will take responsibility for the deaths of BLOs.

The party also alleged the EC gives utmost priority to frivolous issues raised by the BJP besides questioning the appointment of external BLAs from other booths or the non-inclusion of date entry operators from Bangla Sahayata Kendras. "Does this not reek of bias and partisan practice, which you seek to address, ultimately to the detriment of your constitutional autonomy?" Moitra told reporters.

"In Bihar, we saw how suddenly the Model Code of Conduct became malleable with new restrictions on public mobilisation, spending and new provisions of digital complaints all geared to aid the BJP. In Bengal BJP leaders are claiming that one crore voters will be deleted from the rolls. The EC has taken no cognizance of these comments, nor have they negated the fear mongering by the BJP. That leads us to ask two questions, is the ECI working upon command of the BJP? Is every sacrosanct provision now tamperable to suit a single political party's agenda?" she added.