Kolkata, Oct 29 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday sought the protection of the voting rights of all genuine voters in the state and the country, but avoided directly mentioning the special intensive revision (SIR) in the state, which was announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) earlier this week.
"The pillars of democracy must be kept strong. May everyone's democratic rights be protected. May everyone be able to exercise their own rights,” the Chief Minister said while addressing a gathering on the occasion of Jagatddhatri Puja.
On the occasion, she also spoke about the rich tradition of communal harmony in West Bengal. "We celebrate all religious festivals. While everyone has the right to practise his or her religion, the celebration is for all. I want peace in West Bengal. I want the people of the country to stay in peace. I do not want a divide and rule practice in the country," Banerjee said.
Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo, specially stressed the necessity for people to remain united and said that unity among people is the only way to protect humanity. "The grip becomes strong when all five fingers of the palm remain united. So under no circumstances should we allow loosening of the grip. Great souls from West Bengal like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda have always spoken of the people's unity," she said.
However, surprisingly, the Chief Minister carefully avoided direct mention of the SIR in West Bengal, especially when Trinamool’s General Secretary and MP, Abhishek Banerjee, continued with his verbal attacks against the BJP on the issue.
On Wednesday, he even asked people to tie up local BJP leaders if they asked for their parents’ birth certificates during the SIR of West Bengal's electoral rolls or for National Register of Citizens (NRC) verification.
He accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of being responsible for creating an atmosphere of panic and demanded criminal action against them.
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