I can plead for voters over deaths, harassment, she said
Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday threatened to move the Supreme Court (SC) over the series of deaths and hardships and harassment of the voters during the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) in the state.
Laying the foundation stone of Gangasagar Setu in South 24 Parganas ahead of the Gangasagar festival, Ms Banerjee informed that she has started exploring legal options. Declaring herself as a lawyer, she also hinted at pleading at the SC for the affected people, if needed.
Ms Banerjee said at an event, “We are taking legal help against the SIR. The SC will reopen on Tuesday. We will move there over the series of deaths and harassment of the voters. If needed, I can seek permission to plead for the voters also. I will speak on their behalf.”
She added, “I am a lawyer but will not appear in that role. I will go there as a commoner. I can place my views. For that, I will take permission to point out how people are being subjected to harassment at the grassroot level. How would BJP leaders feel if their old parents are made to stand in queues to prove their identity?"
The Trinamul Congress supremo claimed that at least 81 people have died in the last two months over the SIR. She was referring to the second phase of the SIR which began on December 27 for scrutiny and identity verification.
In this round, around 1.67 crore voters of the state are served notices by the EC to appear at the hearing camps in their assembly constituencies after they were found unmapped or with logical discrepancies like errors in names and addresses.
The figure also covers a large number of aged and ailing voters and women including the pregnant ones who are compelled to travel with their documents of proof to far away camps and stand in long queues for hours throughout the day for their turns to come before facing the hearing.
Countering Ms Banerjee's legal threat, leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari said, “The SC made clear that it would protect every citizen of this country and uphold the constitutional powers of the EC. If there is any issue on the SIR here, they must move the SC. Otherwise, if any genuine voter's name is deleted after February 14, they can approach the SC with documents.”
