Once again expressing “doubt over the true intention behind the conduct of Special Intensive Revision (SIR)” of electoral rolls, the Trinamool Congress on Monday urged the Election Commission of India to “act like a true constitutional authority”, warning once again against “unlawful deletion of genuine names from the lists which may provoke unrest.”
This, even as the Bengal Government in an unprecedented pre-SIR exercise on Monday effected a major administrative reshuffle, transferring out about 64 senior bureaucrats, including 10 District Magistrates of the Indian Administrative Services cadre and remaining officers from the State civil services.
Hours after the ECO announced the implementation of the SIR regime in Bengal, freezing the electoral rolls post Monday midnight, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “The Commission must prove its true intent by conducting an impartial SIR without being influenced by the BJP. Which is the general refrain among the people of the country. Not only in Bengal but also in Bihar and many other states. It is for the ECI to prove its impartiality as a constitutional body.”
SIR would officially commence in Bengal in November, and training of the Booth Level Officials would begin right away, the ECI clarified on Monday.
Ghosh’s slightly mellowed tone came close on the heels of other senior leaders, including MPs and some MLAs, warning of a bloodbath in Bengal should names be deleted unlawfully. “Let them touch one person. Let them delete one name illegally and then see the consequence,” Ghosh had said on Saturday, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned of a freedom struggle-like movement if names of citizens were deleted arbitrarily. “If they injure a Royal Bengal Tiger, then they will face the consequence,” she had earlier said.
Another TMC MLA from Burdwan warned the ECI against any biased approach, saying all illegal acts of deletion of genuine names would have their repercussions on the local BJP men. “If the names of the genuine voters are deleted, then we will go after the local BJP men, who will then face the consequence and will have to leave their households,” he said.
The BJP leadership, on the other hand, rejoiced, distributing sweets at many places in Kolkata and elsewhere. “SIR has been a foregone conclusion. The names of 1 crore Bangladeshi Muslims and fake voters have to be deleted. And one hopes this will be done if the BLOs work honestly, and one hopes the ECI will make them work honestly,” Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari said.
Meanwhile, in an administrative reshuffle that the TMC called a “usual affair”, the Mamata Banerjee Government on Monday transferred 64 IAS officers, including 10 district magistrates and 457 officers of the State civil services cadre, hours before SIR was officially declared in Bengal. Officials, however, said that such transfers were routine and had nothing to do with SIR.