The floor of the Bengal Assembly is likely to witness a fierce debate on Friday over the situation in the state arising from the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls during the last session of the third Mamata Banerjee government.
The Assembly’s last session will start on Tuesday and last till February 12. Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya is scheduled for tabling the interim state budget on Thursday.
Friday’s discussion on the SIR will last an hour.
“There will be a one-hour discussion on the situation that has arisen in Bengal following the SIR exercise, during which many people have died in the state. The people are worried over the situation that has been created over the conduct of the SIR,” said Speaker Biman Banerjee.
The Speaker said that two proposals came to the House, one from Trinamool MLA Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay on behalf of the government and another from ISF MLA Nawsad Siddiqui.
He said that the discussion would be held on the basis of the proposal that came from the government.
The announcement was made on a day when chief minister Mamata Banerjee, along with her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, had a stormy meeting with chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi on the Bengal SIR.
A source said that Mamata was likely to speak in the Assembly during the discussion.
Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition, who has accused Mamata of being responsible for the harassment and deaths of people, and confirmed that the BJP would participate in the debate to counter the Trinamool Congress.
“We will take part in the debate. However, unfortunately, the Assembly has allotted only one hour to discuss a serious issue like the SIR. The ruling dispensation and the Opposition will be allowed to speak for 30 minutes each,” said Adhikari after meeting with governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Monday.
A source said the decision to take up the SIR as part of the Assembly’s business comes at a time when Trinamool has taken up the issue very seriously ahead of the forthcoming elections, alleging that the Election Commission, hand in glove with the BJP, has been trying to remove the names of bona fide Bengal voters who are disinclined towards the saffron camp.
There are murmurs in the BJP camp that the SIR, which was initially touted to be of help to the saffron camp, has become a major political weapon for Trinamool amid allegations of harassment of lakhs of people who have been called for hearings over alleged “logical discrepancies”.
Mamata has already moved the Supreme Court over the SIR and has also taken up the issue in protests in the national capital.
Understanding the Trinamool narrative and strong opposition to the ongoing SIR, the BJP leadership has been trying to turn the tables on its rivals, claiming that state government officials under the instructions of Mamata and her party leaders are deliberately harassing common voters.
Adhikari claimed that Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Delhi and her move to the apex court were aimed at stopping the SIR process and pushing for elections to be held based on the 2002 electoral rolls. “We will not let this happen,” he said. “We will not allow any election without an electoral roll free from Rohingya, Bangladeshi infiltrators and fake voters.”
He said that if state polls were not conducted on time, President’s rule would automatically be imposed.
Trinamool Congress insiders, however, said Mamata Banerjee’s all-out movement against the SIR has been boosting the party’s rank and file ahead of the summer elections.
They claimed that Bengal BJP leaders have been worried over the way the wind was blowing as anti-incumbency factors had faded because of the hardships and controversies surrounding the SIR.
Speaker Banerjee on Monday urged other chief ministers to stand by Mamata in her protest against the SIR.
“I urge chief ministers of other states (non-BJP-ruled states) to stand by her as she has been fighting for democracy,” said the Speaker.