Mamata Questions EC's Directive To Suspend Election Officers In Bengal

(MENAFN- IANS) Kolkata, Aug 7 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday, again questioned whether the Election Commission of India (ECI) had any authority to direct the Trinamool Congress government to suspend any state government employee, who has been appointed as election officer, as the polling dates for the state had been announced and the model code of conduct was in place.

The questions raised by the Chief Minister on this decision came in reaction to the ECI's directive to the West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant earlier this week, asking for immediate suspension of four election officers in the state and lodging FIRs against them, with all of them been found guilty by the poll panel of involvement in the wrongful addition of names in the electoral rolls of two Assembly seats in two districts.

"Election dates are yet to be announced. So, what is the authority of the Commission now to direct the state government to suspend election officers, who are state government employees? Under which authority is the Commission sending notices to the state government and also asking the state government to register FIRs against them? I am saying it again that nothing of that sort will happen and no one will be punished," Chief Minister Banerjee said, while addressing an event at the tribal-dominated Jharkhand on Thursday afternoon.

Speaking on the occasion, she made it clear that the Chief Minister and the Trinamool Congress would continue to oppose the twin issues -- the first being special intensive revision (SIR) to be conducted by the ECI in the state, and the second being the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in the BJP-ruled states.

"All of you remember that having your names in the voters' lists and speaking and honouring your language are your rights. So do not give up those rights. They are saying that there is no such language as Bengali. So what is the language in which great men like Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose used to speak?" the Chief Minister asked.

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