The Trinamul Congress on Tuesday accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of becoming a “pawn in the BJP’s game of destroying the nation.”

In a post on X, the party said, “Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been made a pawn in the BJP’s game of destroying the nation. Soon after the SIR was announced in June, Gyanesh Kumar’s daughter and son-in-law were appointed as District Magistrates in BJP-ruled states. Is this merely a coincidence — or a reward for following the BJP’s orders?”

The party also shared a video of a news conference by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday afternoon.

“The SIR was announced on June 24. On June 25, Gyanesh Kumar’s son-in-law Manish Bansal was posted as DM of Saharanpur. On June 28, his daughter Medha Rupam was made DM of Noida. Are these mere coincidences? Ask Mr. Gyanesh Kumar,” Abhishek said.

He alleged that Kumar’s proximity to Union home minister Amit Shah, under whom he earlier served as Cooperative Secretary, showed “clear signs of collusion.”

“He’s a man on a mission to destroy the country and serve it on a platter to his political masters,” Banerjee said, daring Kumar to file a defamation case if the claims were false.

Banerjee had earlier accused the Election Commission and the BJP of conspiring to manipulate Bengal’s electoral rolls through the SIR exercise.

Calling it a “ploy” to exclude genuine voters, he said, “The BJP’s allied organisation has announced SIR yesterday. This process is not about inclusion but exclusion.”

Calling the revision “Silent Invisible Rigging (SIR)”, Banerjee alleged that it was “dictated by the ruling party at the Centre.”

He also questioned the timing of the exercise, pointing out that the Lok Sabha elections had been held barely 18 months ago.

“Five Northeast states share borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar. Then why is SIR being announced only in Bengal citing Bangladeshis and Rohingyas?” he asked, rejecting the BJP’s justification for the revision.

The Diamond Harbour MP also held Kumar and Shah responsible for the death of a man in North 24 Parganas, allegedly due to panic over NRC and the ongoing voter verification. “An FIR should be filed against them,” Banerjee said.

He added, “If the name of a single eligible voter is eliminated from the voter list, then one lakh people from Bengal will hold a dharna outside the EC office in New Delhi.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee cited the proposed National Registry of Citizens (NRC) as the reason behind the death of a man in a small town in North 24-Parganas district,

Despite the allegations, Banerjee asserted confidence in his party’s prospects. “Even after this SIR, we’ll increase our seat tally. That’s my challenge to the BJP,” he said.