New Delhi, February 2 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may have brought her battle against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to the poll body’s doorsteps in New Delhi, but may not have been able to achieve what she set out for on Day one of the current trip.
Monday was eventful as Mamata Banerjee stormed to the two state guest houses in the national capital when early reports showed presence of Delhi Police and setting up of barricades at the two “Banga Bhawans — one at Hailey Road, and a “new” one at Chanakyapuri.
Camera followed her through the day, and later to the Election Commission (EC) headquarters at Nirvachan Sadan.
Here, following an incomplete meeting — though known for unpredictable and disruptive politics — Chief Minister Banerjee appeared uncertain on the path ahead.
When asked about the Trinamool Congress’ future action, the party supremo said she will get back after consulting her party members.
Though the Trinamool Congress delegation “boycotted” the proceeding on Monday, walking away midway from the meeting, alleging they were “insulted and humiliated”, the party will not keep off the hustings.
The Trinamool Chairperson was reminded by the media waiting at the Election Commission headquarters that in Bihar, the Opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had contemplated boycotting the Assembly polls over alleged SIR anomalies, but later reconciled.
She rather chose to remind the press corps that the opposition parties failed to identify the method SIR exercise was allegedly following to manipulate electoral rolls in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“No one spotted it in Bihar, so you (the ruling bloc) won, neither in Haryana, where again they (BJP) won. It was all manipulation. But we have an organisation, so I can challenge them in Delhi,” Mamata Banerjee said.
The message was clear, while Opposition parties like the Congress, RJD, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), among others, were criticising the poll body over the SIR process, they could not identify the actual modus operandi, nor could build up a strong resistance.
An almost similar message was echoed by Trinamool General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee after his meeting with the poll panel in New Delhi on December 31.
Though, he raised issues similar as Lok Sabha’s Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleging the BJP’s “unusually high strike rate” in state elections, he asserted that opposition parties, including the Congress, failed to identify and raise the alleged lapses his party has identified.
He reminded that it was only the Trinamool Congress that had pointed out pertinent issues that were allegedly leading to “vote theft” in favour of the BJP, which no other opposition party could see.
Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee had kept her protests and demonstrations largely confined to West Bengal, though often warning the EC of bringing it to New Delhi.
The December meeting, as claimed by the Trinamool heir apparent, was stormy on occasions, and allegedly did not address the delegation’s concerns, “except for two or three points”.
On Monday, many of those present in front of Delhi’s Nirvachan Sadan the chilly evening contemplated an “instant, aggressive, and unexpected” response after the meeting ended in a stalemate.
But the fiery leader chose to contemplate rather resort to an impulsive reaction — a drift from the past image.
The Election Commission, however, took a strong stance, accusing Trinamool MLAs in West Bengal of “openly using abusive and threatening language against the Commission” and especially Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
According to it, the CEC responded to Mamata Banerjee’s queries and “explained Rule of Law shall prevail and anybody taking law into their own hands shall be dealt with strictly as per the provisions of law and powers vested in the Commission”.
This stand was different from the past when in December, Election Commission sources gave clarifications rather than addressing what went on inside the meeting room.
–IANS
jb/khz