Trinamool Congress All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday held a special virtual meeting with the party’s Booth Level Agents (BLA-2), block, town and ward-level electoral roll supervisors, directing them to stand by people summoned for hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
During the meeting, Banerjee described the situation as a “wartime” scenario and asked party workers not to concede any space to the BJP.
The Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha leader instructed that BLA-2s must remain present at every SIR hearing. He warned that if any party worker is stopped or prevented from entering a hearing centre, the party would immediately pursue legal action.
“Our fight will also continue through legal means. If the Prime Minister can use technology to reach people, why can’t the Election Commission use technology to facilitate the hearing process for migrant workers?” Banerjee said.
Saturday marked the first day of the second phase of SIR hearings, triggering controversy over the summoning of elderly and infirm voters.
A 90-year-old man was seen standing in a queue at a hearing centre at Chetla Girls’ School in Kolkata amid biting cold conditions.
This was despite the Election Commission stating that voters above 85 years of age would not be summoned. On the first day itself, visuals of several octogenarMedia and nonagenarMedia standing in queues sparked criticism.
In West Midnapore, a pregnant woman was reportedly seen waiting in a hearing line on the same day she was admitted to hospital.
Banerjee alleged that people in the state were being continuously harassed and said the Trinamool Congress would set up assistance camps near SIR hearing centres to support affected voters. Party leaders and workers would provide help to those in need from these camps, he said.
Earlier, the state administration had set up ‘May I Help You’ camps to assist the public with documentation-related issues, including birth and death certificates.
Addressing more than one lakh BLAs during the meeting, Banerjee praised their role in the SIR process and reiterated that they must remain present throughout the hearings.
“For the next one and a half months, you have to be the shadow of the BLOs (Booth Level Officers). The war room must remain active. The vote protection camp must remain active for the next six weeks,” he said.
Targeting the BJP and the Election Commission, Banerjee alleged that the exercise was aimed at targeting Bengal.
“Fewer names have been removed here, yet they are doing all this to harass Bengal. Elderly people are being summoned. If votes can be collected from homes, then hearings should also be conducted at homes,” he said.
