New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) As the Trinamool Congress called a special session on the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, Union Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Sukanta Majumdar, on Monday alleged that the move is an attempt to distract public attention from the explosive revelations in the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam.
Speaking to IANS, Sukanta Majumdar said, “This special session has nothing to do with safeguarding voter rights. It is a calculated distraction from the WBSSC scandal. Following the Supreme Court’s directive, the Commission published a list of 1,804 ineligible candidates involved in the cash-for-jobs scam. Instead of addressing this, the Trinamool is trying to shift the focus with theatrics like this session.”
He added, “This is unprecedented. The WBSSC itself is admitting the government sold jobs. It should be registered in the Guinness World Records. Something similar happened in Haryana, but at least then, an investigative body gave the verdict. Here, the government itself is admitting its guilt. It’s a disgrace.”
On the SIR drive, Majumdar emphasised that such revisions should be the responsibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI), not the state government.
“SIR is necessary, yes, but it must be conducted impartially by the ECI. The electoral roll needs reforms to remove names of illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas and Bangladeshis. According to the People’s Representation Act, intruders have no right to vote,” he said.
Majumdar further responded to Trinamool Congress fielding former cricketer Yusuf Pathan in the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar.
“Yusuf Pathan is a respected sportsperson, but politically, he holds little weight. If Trinamool really believed in the impact of this campaign, they would’ve sent Mamata Banerjee or Abhishek Banerjee. This shows they know the INDIA Bloc will lose in Bihar, and NDA will emerge victorious,” he told IANS.
Commenting on BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya’s recent statement calling Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “food security” speech a cruel joke on West Bengal’s poor, Majumdar backed the claim.
“Whatever Amit Malviya said is absolutely true. Mamata Banerjee is a master of deception. She’s been misleading people for years. But data don’t lie. Children in West Bengal are facing a serious anemia crisis. According to statistics Malviya cited, nearly 12 per cent of children in Kolkata are underweight. If this is the state of the capital, one can only imagine the condition in rural districts,” he added.
–IANS
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