Jhargram, Aug 6 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission (EC) for suspending four state government officers and a data entry operator
over alleged lapses in preparing the electoral rolls, questioning the legality of the move and accusing the poll panel of acting at the behest of the BJP.
State government workers are being intimidated, Banerjee alleged.
"The officers were served suspension notices yesterday. Have the elections even been announced yet? Which law allows them to be suspended at this stage? It is our responsibility to protect you all. We will do that. We will not suspend them,” Banerjee asserted while addressing a public meeting.
The Trinamool Congress supremo accused the EC of trying to intimidate government officials and said her administration would stand by its employees.
“They have started suspending people even though a long time is left before the elections. They (ECI) are the bonded labour of the BJP. They are acting as agents of (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah and the BJP. The home minister thinks whatever he says will happen,” Banerjee alleged.
Her remarks came a day after the Election Commission suspended four officers - two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) - and a data entry operatorand a casual worker in West Bengal for allegedly committing irregularities while preparing electoral rolls in Baruipur Purba and Moyna assembly constituencies in South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur districts, respectively.
In a letter to West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, EC Secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra said that the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state had forwarded a report detailing “wrongful addition of names” in the voter lists of the two constituencies.
Based on the report, the poll panel suspended with immediate effect Debottam Dutta Choudhury (ERO) and Tathagata Mondal (AERO) of Baruipur Purba, and Biplab Sarkar (ERO) and Sudipta Das (AERO) of Moyna. A data entry operator was also suspended.
The EC has directed that FIRs be lodged against all five, and disciplinary proceedings initiated for their alleged failure to follow directions issued by the Commission.
The issue took a political turn with BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya alleging that the officers had compromised the integrity of the electoral roll at the behest of the ruling TMC. PTI PNT NN
