Mamata Banerjee on Monday termed the Election Commission’s administrative overhaul “anti-women, anti-Bengali, anti-Bengal, anti-Hindu”, accusing the poll panel of orchestrating a “midnight cloak-and-dagger” operation to overthrow her democratically elected government.
After leading a march from College Square to the Dorina Crossing against the LPG crisis, Mamata said Sunday’s transfers, which included that of chief secretary Nandini Chakravorty, was a “modhyoratrey gupto tandob (midnight cloak-and-dagger rampage)” by the “chhupa Rustam (sneaky schemers)”.
She accused the poll panel of acting as a handmaiden to the BJP.
“I received a message in the middle of the night... at 1am,” Mamata told the gathering.
“They are carrying out secret attacks on our democracy, like goons. Unheard of! A Bengali woman was the chief secretary, she was unceremoniously replaced.
“They are anti-women. They are misogynists... they pushed a woman out by the neck. They didn’t even ask the state once (for a panel of names as possible replacements),” Mamata said.
She said the Centre was summarily discarding conventions and protocols and acting unilaterally.
Mamata demanded answers also on the other changes the poll panel had made to the civil and police administration.
Earlier in the day, Trinamool state general secretary Kunal Ghosh had branded the shuffle a “panic reaction” by the “politically bankrupt” BJP.
He had alleged the BJP feared defeat and was getting the Election Commission to do all it could to try and change the mandate.
Mamata’s rhetoric turned increasingly defiant in the evening. “Change everything, but even then, the government of Bengal will not change. Write it down. These are the jomidar (feudal lords) and their henchmen,”she said.
“Whoever you send to those posts, they will all work for us, for the people, for Bengal.... You are political lice.”
Letter to CEC
Mamata wrote to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar later on Monday, expressing anguish that the state had not been asked to furnish names for the posts.
“Such sweeping transfers have been affected without any cogent reasons and without any allegation of violation, misconduct or lapse in relation to the conduct of elections,” she wrote.
“...I would request the Commission to kindly refrain from adopting such unilateral measures in the future, as they risk diluting the long-standing legacy, credibility and institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India...,”read the letter.
RS walkout
Trinamool MPs walked out of the Rajya Sabha protesting the transfers effected by the EC.
Derek O’Brien questioned the rationale behind the shuffle during Zero Hour. “In the dead of night, the chief secretary, principal secretary, home secretary of Bengal were removed by the EC. The EC has all the power to do it. They can,” he said.
Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju castigated Trinamool and the Congress for habitually questioning the decisions of the EC, a constitutional authority.
Additional reporting by our New Delhi bureau