NEW DELHI: Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid a row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the election process in India has been "hijacked" and made "centralised" to "satisfy" the BJP-led Centre. Addressing a press conference in Delhi, she referred to the CEC as 'Vanish Kumar', saying: "Someone who has tried to snatch away citizens' voting rights, who am I to forgive him? It has to be decided by the people of India."
Alleging voter deletions in West Bengal, she said areas won by the (undivided) Trinamool Congress saw higher deletions. "We went to courts, even went to the EC office with a hundred 'victims' of the SIR...but they insulted us. Further, when our party MPs went to meet the EC regarding the party symbol, they were asked to 'get lost', "she said.
The former Bengal CM also questioned the immunity provision enacted in 2023 for the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners. (IANS)
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