BJP misusing 'Vanish Commission' to erase legitimate voters from electoral rolls, alleges Mamata
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's sit-in against alleged arbitrary deletions in the post-SIR voter list entered the third day on Sunday, with the TMC supremo accusing the BJP of "misusing the Vanish Commission to erase legitimate voters from electoral rolls".
Her comment comes on a day when the full bench of the Election Commission is scheduled to arrive in Kolkata to review poll preparedness ahead of the state assembly elections.
Banerjee also alleged that the country is witnessing an “unprecedented and direct assault” on its democratic foundations.
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"In their 'One Nation, One Leader, One Party' frenzy, BJP has systematically weaponised every democratic institution and every constitutional post to serve their own Jono-Birodhi (anti-people) ambitions," she alleged.
Banerjee claimed that the BJP’s ultimate goal is to "replace" the Constitution framed by Babasaheb Ambedkar with its "party manifesto".
"For years, they have unleashed Central agencies, National Commissions, a servile Godi Media, and a compliant section of the judiciary against Bengal. They are misusing the Vanish Commission to erase legitimate voters from electoral rolls," the TMC supremo alleged.
Banerjee described the BJP leadership as “zamindars of Delhi” and claimed that they would never succeed in their mission to “subjugate” Bengal.
“Our dharna at Dharmatala is our answer to every Bangla-Birodhi (anti-Bengal) agenda that seeks to humiliate, intimidate, and persecute the people of this state,” she said.
The chief minister’s remarks come amid an intensifying row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which the TMC claims has led to the large-scale deletion of genuine voters.
According to official data released on February 28, as many as 63.66 lakh names — around 8.3 per cent of the electorate — have been deleted since the SIR process began in November last year, reducing the voter base from about 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.
In addition, over 60.06 lakh electors have been placed under the “under adjudication” category, meaning their eligibility will be determined through legal scrutiny in the coming weeks, a process that could further reshape constituency-level electoral equations.
Banerjee claimed that while the BJP’s only priority is power, her priority “is and has always been people".
Drawing a historical parallel, she added that just as Bengal rose to break the shackles of colonial rule, it would “rise again to pave the way for BJP’s inevitable downfall”.
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Iran attacks oil tanker near Dubai; Trump warns of strikes on energy sites if Hormuz remains shut
Tel Aviv/Washington: Iran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai on Monday after US President Donald Trump warned that Washington would target Iran’s energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
According to a Reuters report, the Kuwait-flagged tanker Al-Salmi is owned by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and was capable of carrying around 2 million barrels of crude. . It was struck in what authorities later described as a drone attack. The company said the incident occurred early Tuesday, causing a fire and hull damage. No injuries were reported and the fire was brought under control, Dubai authorities said .
Oil prices rose briefly following the attack and added to volatility in global energy markets. In the United States, retail gasoline prices crossed $4 per gallon for the first time in more than three years, according to data from GasBuddy, as crude prices moved above $101 per barrel.
Israel said it carried out missile strikes on military infrastructure in Tehran and on sites linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah in Beirut. Explosions were reported in parts of Tehran, with Iran’s Tasnim news agency saying power outages occurred in the eastern Pirouzi district following the blasts.
The Israel Defense Forces said four soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon. In recent days, three peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon were also killed in separate incidents in the same area.
Iran’s military spokesperson said Tehran’s latest wave of missile and drone strikes targeted US military positions at five bases in the region and sites in Israel. Thousands of troops from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have begun arriving in the Middle East, according to US officials, expanding Washington’s military options even as diplomatic efforts continue.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Reuters Trump wants an agreement with Iranian leaders before a revised April 6 deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, adding that talks were progressing, while public statements from Tehran differed from private communications.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said proposals received through intermediaries were “unrealistic” and maintained that Iran was focused on defending itself.
In a social media post, Trump said that if a deal is not reached soon and the strait is not reopened, the US would strike Iran’s electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island. However, a report in The Wall Street Journal said Trump had told aides he may be willing to end the military campaign even if the strait remains largely closed and address reopening it later. The White House referred to earlier remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the strait would be opened “one way or another.”
The administration has also requested an additional $200 billion in funding for the conflict, a proposal that faces opposition in the US Congress.
