Don't behave like British: Mamata slams Centre over SIR, asserts commitment to secular politics
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday tore into the BJP-led Centre over the SIR of electoral rolls, accusing it of behaving like the British rulers by imposing directives on the state, and vowed that her government would neither allow detention camps nor practise communal politics.
She was addressing a programme at the state secretariat Nabanna, in which she listed her government's work over the last 14-and-a-half years.
Claiming that the SIR process had been triggered at the behest of the BJP to "save its vote bank", Banerjee alleged that the Centre was attempting to "disturb the states" under the guise of electoral reforms.
"I do not run detention camps in Bengal. We do not torture people. We don't disturb others, why is the Centre disturbing the states?" she asked.
Banerjee said the Union government must not act like the British rulers.
"I want to tell the Centre: do not behave like the British and forcefully impose anything on us. If you have something to say, tell the state directly. We are committed to the Constitution," she said, adding, "I do not practise communal politics. I practise secular politics. For me, all religions are the same."
The remarks come at a time when political temperatures in West Bengal have risen sharply over the SIR, with the BJP and TMC locked in a bitter war of words.
The SIR exercise, mandated by the Election Commission of India (ECI), aims at revising electoral rolls by verifying entries, identifying deceased or shifted voters, and ensuring updated records ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
However, the process has triggered protests by booth-level officers (BLOs) over workload, street demonstrations by political leaders, and mud slinging between the TMC and the BJP.
Banerjee, also the TMC supremo, reiterated her long-standing charge that the BJP was attempting to misuse the ECI machinery to influence voter lists.
The chief minister also sought to portray her government as the principal defender of constitutional values and federalism.
"Bengal does not discriminate. We treat all communities equally. This is not a government that divides people. This is a government that protects everyone," she said, adding that the state would "resist any attempt" to unsettle the social fabric.
Over the past week, the CEO's office in Kolkata has witnessed scenes of chaos, with protesting BLOs engaging in altercations with the police over what they call "inhuman workload".
The TMC has accused the BJP of trying to "manufacture tension" around the SIR to create a political narrative ahead of the polls.
Banerjee also took an indirect swipe at the Centre's citizenship-related legislations, stating that Bengal would "never support anything that pushes people into detention camps or renders them stateless".
The TMC has consistently opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the NRC, calling them instruments of discrimination.
"Let me make this clear: there will be no detention camp in Bengal. Nothing will be allowed that harms any community. We follow the path shown by the Constitution, not by divisive politics," she said.
Soon after the chief minister's remarks, the BJP hit back, accusing her of "peddling falsehoods" to divert attention from the TMC's alleged involvement in maintaining "ghost voters" in the electoral rolls.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said Banerjee was "scared" of a clean-up of the voter list.
"The SIR is an ECI-mandated, nationwide process. Why is she afraid? Because thousands of fake and illegal voters have been protected by the TMC for years," he alleged.
Adhikari said comparing the Centre to the British was "an insult to the democratic structure".
"It is Mamata Banerjee who runs Bengal like a private estate. The BJP does not need to learn democracy from her. She must explain why her party is resisting a transparent voter verification process," he said.
Calling Banerjee's "secular politics" claim "hypocrisy", the BJP leader alleged that the TMC had indulged in "appeasement politics" for over a decade.
"Her government selectively protects certain groups for electoral benefit. She should stop lecturing about constitutional values," he said.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
