Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 30 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee on Friday alleged large-scale electoral malpractices and warned officials of legal repercussions once a government change takes place.
Speaking to the reporters, Banerjee questioned the internal consensus within the Election Commission, pointing out that Election Commissioners themselves had indicated decisions were not made unanimously.
He alleged 30 lakh voter names were deleted under the guise of resolving ‘logical discrepancies’, arguing that if such an interim arrangement disenfranchised voters on that scale, it calls into question the legitimacy of the entire mandate.
“Election Commissioners themselves are raising the issue that a unanimous decision was not taken. If ‘logical discrepancy’ is an interim arrangement and 30 lakh names were deleted due to it, the MLAs elected henceforth are also interim. The elected govt is also interim. CM is interim too. One day a case will definitely be filed against him (the then CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal). BJP is in power today, but they will go out one day. After that, there will certainly be action,” he said.
He questioned the haste behind appointing Manoj Agarwal as the State’s Chief Secretary even before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) had concluded, while also criticising the post-election appointment of State Observer Subrata Gupta as political advisor to the Chief Minister.
“Manoj Agarwal has been implicated through an EC affidavit. What was the compulsion or haste that Manoj Agarwal was the State’s Chief Secretary even before the MCC concluded? State Observer Subrata Gupta was made CM’s political advisor after the election,” he said.
Further sharpening his critique, he added, “Those who think that victory is important in politics by hook or by crook must understand that they have to work within the purview of law and the Constitution. The day BJP goes out of power, nobody will be spared.”
He said that when the INDI Alliance comes to power, the first course of action will be taken against those indulged in corruption and who violate the law and Constitution.
“When the INDI alliance forms Govt in the days to come, priority would be to take strict action against the corrupt, those who looted the country for 10 years, those who violated law and Constitution,” he said.
Challenging Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the TMC leader alleged that elections in West Bengal were compromised. He threw down an open challenge to the CEC to show the 10 minutes of CCTV footage from 3 PM to 9 PM from key counting centres and constituencies.
“Bengal elections were looted. I challenge Gyanesh Kumar: if he has guts, Rajarhat Gopalpur, Bhabanipur, Rajarhat New Town and a total of 100 Assembly constituencies – show 10 minutes of footage from 3 pm to 9 pm; we would apologise to you,” he said. (ANI)
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