In what the Opposition BJP called a “final shriek” of a “falling dictator” Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday shot off a second letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar hallmarked by a row of three “whys” wondering whether or not the Election Commission of India was working in furtherance of some “partisan interests” of a “political party.” She would not, however, name the saffron outfit though.
Flagging her concerns regarding ECI’s decision to outsource private data entry operators and setting up polling stations in private housing complexes, Banerjee wrote, “Is this exercise being undertaken at the behest of a political party to serve vested interests?”
Referring to a recent direction issued by the State Chief Electoral Office to hire 1,000 private data entry operators and not to engage already working contractual data entry staff and the Bangla Sahyata Kendra workers, Banerjee wrote whether it was done at the behest of some political party.
“It has recently come to light that the CEO, West Bengal, has directed District Election Officers (DEOs) not to engage contractual data entry operators and Bangla Sahyata Kendra (BSK) staff for SIR-related or other election-related data work… simultaneously, the CEO’s office has floated a Request for Proposal (RfP) for hiring 1,000 Data Entry Operators and 50 Software Developers for a period of one year,” Banerjee wrote adding the move “certainly raise legitimate doubts.” Regarding the proposal to set up polling stations in private housing complexes she wrote it would have a “severe impact on the fairness of the electoral process.”
The Chief Minister’s letter was promptly read by many a critic in reference to a previous statement from Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari, who wrote on the social media, “The ECI guidelines are crystal clear — Contractual Data Entry Operators, Contractual Staff, BSK Staff, or any such personnel cannot be involved in Data Entry works for the ongoing SIR.”
Apparently linking Adhikari’s statement to the latest move of the CEO office, Banerjee wrote, “Why is such a move being contemplated at all? Again, is this being done under the pressure from a political party to advance their partisan interests? Why? Why? Why?” urging the CEC to “examine these issues with utmost seriousness, impartiality and transparency. It is essential that the dignity, neutrality and credibility of the commission remain above reproach and are not compromised under any circumstances.”
This was the second such letter written by Banerjee to the CEC, with the earlier being the one drawing his attention to the recent cases of suicides committed by two booth-level officers allegedly failing to cope with the work stress.
Referring to the Chief Minister’s letter, State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said, “She knows that through SIR water is being separated from the milk… this is a shriek of a falling dictator.”
Meanwhile, in a parallel development, a section of BLOs on Monday staged a sit-in demonstration outside the office of State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal, demanding an extension of the date of submission of enumeration forms.
Members of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee took out the procession from College Square in north Kolkata till the CEO office, where they complained against the “short time frame within which we have to complete our work a work that usually takes more than two years,” the functionaries said. The police had to resort to minor force to remove the squatting staff.