KolkataThe controversy over deletion of names of voters from the voter list in West Bengal is not stopping. After Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, now North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha has also opened the front. On Monday, he started a hunger strike in Dinhata, Cooch Behar. The minister alleges that the Election Commission has arbitrarily removed people’s names from the voter list in the name of Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Guha targeted the Election Commission
Udayan Guha directly targeted the Election Commission. He said that the Commission is working at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Under his leadership, many leaders and workers of Trinamool Congress took part in this mass hunger strike. The minister said that the names of a large number of voters have been put in the category of ‘under adjudication’. According to him, in Cooch Behar district alone, names of more than 2.37 lakh voters have been kept in this pending list.
Election Commission accused of bias
The minister said, ‘Our party under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee is already protesting in Kolkata. The Election Commission is biased and is trying to benefit the BJP. Common voters are being given mental troubles by deleting their names. The commission is also not telling when the decision will be taken on these names. He further said that he has seen many election commissions in his life, but never seen such a biased commission. He warned that the people of Bengal are very aware and they will give a strong response to this conspiracy.
The minister also hit back at BJP’s claims that the process would identify Rohingyas and illegal infiltrators. Udayan Guha said, if any infiltrator is found, take him out and punish him. We don’t have any problem with that. But we want that the right to vote of every person born here should be protected. In fact, where BJP is weak, names of real voters are being removed by planning.
What did the leaders say on the question of strike?
When he was asked how long he would continue his hunger strike, he said that as long as he had breath in his body, he would not back down. It is noteworthy that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also started a protest on the same issue in Kolkata last Friday. Trinamool Congress says that they will continue this fight for the rights of the common people.
