Mamata Banerjee Urges West Bengal Officials to Resist ECI Pressure
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Kolkata, March 9 (NationPress) On Monday, West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged state bureaucrats and police personnel to resist any forms of coercion or disciplinary threats from the Election Commission of India (ECI) or its Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Though she did not specifically mention Kumar, her remarks were pointed. "Those who are intimidating the officials should realize they are in a deluded state. The citizens here will not submit. The Election Chief Commissioner claims he can enforce actions even post-May, but the officers will navigate these issues with discretion. It remains uncertain where he will stand after that. Is he a 'Super God' or Superman? With individuals like him in governance, our nation's economy is at risk," stated Chief Minister Banerjee during her ongoing indefinite protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiative in Kolkata, which commenced last week.
These comments came in the wake of reports that representatives from various state and central agencies faced criticism from the CEC during a pivotal meeting regarding the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal.
Details revealed that CEC Kumar forewarned that any belief that one could navigate the brief period when the ECI would oversee state administration without facing long-term disciplinary repercussions was misguided, as "digital traces will remain."
The Chief Minister further remarked that all central agencies, including armed forces, have been acting with bias under the current BJP-led NDA government at the national level.
"When the BJP is eventually out of power, what will happen then? He (CEC) will likely be the first to face a transfer," she added without directly naming Kumar.
Banerjee reiterated her commitment to her indefinite sit-in regarding the SIR issue.
"If they (BJP) believe they can seize power in West Bengal by eliminating genuine voters, they are gravely mistaken. I will continue to fight this battle until the end," she declared.