Mamata Blames EC For Failing To Protect Judicial Officers

Sagardighi (WB): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday blamed the Election Commission for "failing to protect" judicial officers engaged in the SIR exercise in West Bengal's Malda district and demanded Union Home Minister's resignation over the large-scale transfer of officers in the state.

Seven judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were rescued by security forces after protesters gheraoed them for several hours on Wednesday over the deletion of names from the electoral rolls.

"I condemn the Election Commission for failing to protect the judicial officers," Banerjee said, addressing an election rally here in Murshidabad district.

Claiming that the EC posted its own officers in civil and police administration after announcement of assembly polls in the state, Banerjee accused the poll panel of having "totally failed to control law and order".

Several officers, including the state's chief secretary, home secretary and director general of police (DGP), were replaced soon after the assembly polls were announced by the Election Commission.

Accusing Shah of orchestrating the large-scale changes in the civil and police administration through the Election Commission, Banerjee demanded his resignation.

"Everything is the conspiracy of Amit Shah, I demand the Home minister's resignation," the TMC chief said.

"The Supreme Court has rightly said," Banerjee maintained, referring to the order passed by the apex court over the gherao of the seven judicial officers.

The Supreme Court on Thursday took serious note of seven judicial officials engaged in SIR exercise being taken "hostage" in Malda district, terming it deplorable and seeking responses from the state home secretary, DGP and other officials for their "inaction".

It permitted the Election Commission to seek either a CBI or NIA probe into the unfortunate incident.

"All my powers have been taken away, I have never seen such an Election Commission," the chief minister said.

Banerjee claimed that the BJP's game plan is to get the assembly polls cancelled in Bengal and to get President's rule imposed.

"I do not know who perpetrated the incident that happened in Malda yesterday, but no one gave me any information," she said, claiming that the new chief secretary has not called on her since taking charge.

The chief minister said that she learned about the gherao of the judicial officers from a journalist at midnight.

"Remember, there is no dearth of traitors within your own fold also," she told the TMC rally, seeking to remind people of the battle of Plassey, where Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah was defeated by the British owing to backstabbing by traitors.

Training her guns at AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi without naming him, Banerjee said, "They have brought a Hyderabad leader who divided Muslim votes in Bihar to help BJP win."

"They have the same plan here also, which you (Muslims) are not understanding," she said.

"Wearing a pagri (turban) does not make anyone a leader of a community," Banerjee said.

In an oblique reference to newly-formed AJUP leader Humayun Kabir's planned Babri Masjid-style mosque, the TMC chief said that one can construct ten mosques, but doing so during elections is an attempt to deceive people.

"Go and do it in Uttar Pradesh where the demolition took place, then I will understand how really have the courage," Banerjee said.

Maintaining that the people's grievance over the deletion of names is "genuine", Banerjee said that the state was insulted by Wednesday's incident in Malda.

"I want to fight for the people in a peaceful manner. I never support those who indulge in violence," she said.

Stating that there are legal means to deal with the deletion of names from the voter list, she said that Wednesday's incident of violent protest has "destroyed everything."

"It seems that, except for people, no one is with me," the TMC supremo lamented.

"Law and order in the state is being labelled as bad owing to one incident," she said.

Urging Muslims to remain calm in the face of instigation, especially in the Muslim-majority Malda and Murshidabad districts, she said, "Tomorrow is Friday, do not do anything that may get you arrested by the CBI or the NIA."

Claiming that the names of many minority voters have been deleted, she said that whatever remains will also go if they get arrested.

She claimed that the BJP has a game plan across the districts of Murshidabad, Malda and Uttar Dinajpur, where there is a significant Muslim population, of deleting names in the SIR exercise.

"1.2 crore names have been deleted, due to which we had moved the Supreme Court," the TMC chief said.

She stated that 22 lakh names have already been entered in the electoral rolls following the adjudication process.

"We have to fight peacefully," she said, claiming that certain interested sections instigated the gherao of judicial officers and road blockade for several hours.

Banerjee accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of planning voter name deletions on the one hand and NIA and CBI probes initiated in the TMC-ruled state.