The leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, on Friday gave an ultimatum to Mamata Banerjee to reveal the corruption allegations against chief electoral officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal — which she had made during Thursday’s news conferrence — by 5pm on October 13.
He said if the chief minister failed to provide proof of her allegations, including the claim that the CEO had threatened her officials, BJP MLAs would hold a sit-in demonstration in front of Agarwal’s office once Diwali is over.
“If she fails to disclose the corruption charges against the CEO, I, as the leader of the Opposition, will reveal the corrupt acts of certain IPS and IAS officers, including those working in the chief minister’s Office,” Adhikari said after submitting a memorandum to the CEO’s office demanding action against Mamata for her derogatory remarks against the Election Commission.
“The chief minister has said that the CEO has been threatening officials. The people of Bengal — and as the main Opposition party, the BJP — want to know who was threatened by the CEO. If she fails to prove her charges by Monday evening, we will hold a demonstration in front of the CEO’s office after Diwali,” added the Nandigram MLA.
BJP sources said Adhikari, who had once worked closely with Mamata, understood well that her accusations and veiled threats should be responded to properly, as they were part of Trinamool’s strategy to spread panic among those involved in the electoral process — such as booth-level officers — who would play a crucial role in the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list.
“Mamata Banerjee is a seasoned politician, and she made those comments deliberately to send a veiled threat to the CEO, reminding him that she could expose his alleged irregularities. It means she has been trying to intimidate the CEO with some information from his tenure as a bureaucrat in Bengal. Now it remains to be seen whether her allegation is true or false,” said a senior BJP leader.
“Suvendu-da also said that if the Election Commission does not take action, it will prove that the commission is afraid of Mamata. His political intent is clear — he wants to keep the Election Commission under pressure ahead of the polls, particularly during the SIR process,” the leader added.
Election Commission sources said the SIR would begin shortly after Divali, and one official claimed it might be announced before the festivities.
On Thursday, Mamata had launched a scathing attack on the saffron regime and the allegedly compromised Election Commission of India, claiming that the poll panel was threatening officials of her government long before the notification of the Bengal Assembly polls. She also claimed that the CEO was involved in corruption and said she would reveal details “in due time.”
A section of BJP leaders believes that keeping the Election Commission confident is a key task for the party, as the body will play a crucial role in conducting the electoral process. Many within the BJP believe the party lost several seats in past elections because officials handling electoral work were hand in glove with the ruling dispensation.
The Trinamool Congress, however, downplayed Adhikari’s visit to the CEO’s office on Friday, calling it a photo opportunity.
“Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP leaders are doing the politics of frustration. Now they are trying to manipulate the electoral roll. Since Mamata Banerjee exposed their conspiracy involving the voter list, they are staging a baseless drama at the CEO’s office,” said Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh.
