Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday attacked Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, referring to him as “Vanish Kumar” and questioning the legal protection available to members of the Election Commission.
Referring to Kumar, Banerjee said, “He made people’s rights vanish. How can I forgive him? Who am I? It is the people of India who will not forgive him.”
At a press conference in New Delhi, she said the TMC had opposed the SIR exercise in West Bengal from the beginning and alleged that the process had been centralised by the Election Commission.
“We went to the court but did not get justice. We went to the EC with 100 victims. They insulted us,” she said, alleging that TMC MPs who went to meet the CEC were told to “get lost”.
Banerjee also questioned the immunity provided to the chief election commissioner and election commissioners under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.
The law provides protection from civil or criminal proceedings for a serving or former CEC or EC member for an act, thing or word done or spoken while acting, or purporting to act, in the discharge of official duties.
“If somebody is in charge of taking care of the election process and democracy, as per the Constitution and the obligations of democracy, then no issue. We respect that. But if somebody, because of immunity, is sitting in a chair…,” Banerjee said.
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