West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of threatening state officials during a meeting held to review preparations for the upcoming assembly elections.

The Election Commission’s full bench met senior administrative and police officials in Kolkata earlier in the day. The meeting reviewed law and order arrangements and other preparations ahead of the elections likely to be held in April.

Speaking from the site of her dharna in Kolkata against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Mamata alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner had taken a threatening tone with state officers.

“The CEC threatened our officers today at the meeting. I want to tell the CEC that having courage is good, but false bravado is not good,” she asserted.

Officials said Kumar told officers during the meeting that any lapse in maintaining law and order before the elections would not be tolerated. He also warned that strict action would be taken if officials failed to carry out their responsibilities.

The CEC also questioned the absence of a Narcotics Advisory Committee in the state and asked officers to strengthen monitoring mechanisms ahead of the polls, officials said.

Sharpening her attack on the poll panel, Banerjee alleged that the ongoing SIR exercise was being used to deprive people of their voting rights.

“We have only one point; everyone must be given the right to vote. We want to ensure voting rights for all,” the Trinamool Congress supremo said.

She also claimed that intimidation and deletion of names from electoral rolls were being used as political tools.

“If you think you can capture power by attacking people, intimidating them and removing names from the voters’ list, that will not happen,” the CM said.