Kolkata

The ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday alleged that its concerns over the SIR exercise were not heard during a pre-poll consultation meeting with the full bench of the Election Commission of India (EC).

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the party’s three-member delegation was told that since the TMC had approached the Supreme Court of India on the issue, the matter would be decided there.

The meeting was attended by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal. It was held with representatives of various political parties at a hotel in New Town.

Bhattacharya claimed that whenever the delegation raised concerns about the SIR exercise, the EC said the matter was sub judice in the Supreme Court.

“I am a woman and I was told ‘don’t shout’. Why should I not raise my voice when we are speaking about people’s rights?” she said.

“If the matter is in the Supreme Court, why did they call us for the meeting? When they have invited us, they must listen to what we have to say,” she added.

Bhattacharya said it was the party’s responsibility to protect people and defended its decision to move the apex court.

Also part of the delegation, Firhad Hakim, mayor of Kolkata, alleged that a “false perception” was being created about the presence of infiltrators in West Bengal.

He claimed that over the last two months no infiltrator or Rohingya had been identified, but ordinary Indian citizens were being harassed and asked to prove their nationality.

Hakim further alleged that thousands of people were being made to stand in long queues during the exercise and that some had fallen ill or died during the process.

Calling the right to vote a constitutional right, he said removing names of genuine citizens from the electoral rolls would be unconstitutional.

When asked about the number of phases of the upcoming election sought by the party, the leaders said the number of phases was not the main concern.

“What matters is that genuine voters are not excluded by the EC under the influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” they said.

READ MORE: Shama Mohammad: Battling patriarchy and breaking barriers

Former state DGP and TMC Rajya Sabha candidate Rajeev Kumar was also part of the delegation.