Suvendu Adhikari Accuses CM Mamata Banerjee of Undermining CEC's Reputation
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Synopsis
Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal, has accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of damaging the reputation of new Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in a letter to the Election Commission of India. He claims her remarks at a public rally constituted an attack on the integrity of the Commission.
Key Takeaways
- Suvendu Adhikari writes to ECI.
- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned CEC's appointment.
- Allegations of BJP's influence on the ECI.
- Concerns about the integrity of electoral processes.
- Adhikari calls for action against misleading claims.
Kolkata, Feb 28 (NationPress) The Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Friday submitted a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has harmed the reputation of the newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, during a public event.
In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by IANS, Adhikari asserted that the Chief Minister, while speaking at a rally of party members and supporters at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Thursday, questioned Kumar’s role as the CEC and claimed that the BJP was “attempting to sway” the Commission.
Adhikari also included a translated version in English of the relevant segment from the video of the Chief Minister’s address where she commented on the CEC’s appointment.
“The Trinamool Congress leader accused the BJP of attempting to manipulate electoral processes by placing ‘BJP affiliates’ in key roles such as the Chief Election Commissioner, thereby trying to sway the Election Commission of India,” read Adhikari’s letter addressed to the CEC.
The Leader of Opposition also claimed that the Chief Minister highlighted Kumar’s previous role as secretary to the Union Ministry of Corporation, overseen by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to support her assertions during her public remarks.
However, Adhikari noted in the letter that the Chief Minister conveniently neglected to mention that the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners must be appointed from bureaucrats who hold positions equivalent to secretaries in the Union government.
“The Chief Minister has crossed all boundaries by targeting the Election Commission of India, a permanent Constitutional Body established by the Constitution. She lacks the authority to question your appointment or integrity,” the letter stated.
He also highlighted the Chief Minister's remarks from Thursday, where she stated that free and fair elections could never be achieved unless the Commission operates impartially.
“She explicitly claimed that ‘in Delhi and Maharashtra, the BJP won elections by enrolling fraudulent voters from Haryana and Gujarat.’ She alleged that the BJP employed such tactics to secure victories in the Delhi and Maharashtra Assembly elections with the facilitation of the ECI. Smt. Mamata Banerjee cautioned that if corrective action was not taken to amend the electoral roll in West Bengal, her party would protest indefinitely in front of the office of the Election Commission of India,” the letter elaborated.
According to the Leader of Opposition, such unfounded claims from the Chief Minister are merely attempts to instill unnecessary doubts in the public's mind.
Adhikari concluded the letter by urging the CEC to take notice of the Chief Minister’s comments regarding this issue.
