Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 26 : Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday echoed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the ruling party in centre was using the Special Investigation Team (SIR) excercise to "cut votes" in states where it faces electoral losses.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the BJP's SIR exercise was "not for increasing votes, but for cutting votes". He claimed that in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, a higher number of votes were being removed deliberately in constituencies where the BJP was losing.
"The BJP's SIR (Special Investigation Team) process is not for increasing votes, but for cutting votes. In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal, it has been observed that more votes are being removed. Where the BJP is losing, more votes are being deliberately removed. These people who spread hatred and division do not understand that Bengal is a cultural entity, not a political one," Yadav said.
The SP chief further said that those "who spread hatred and division" fail to understand that "Bengal is a cultural entity, not a political one". Backing Mamata Banerjee, he asserted that central agencies had failed to dent her political standing.
"The ED (Enforcement Directorate) lost to Didi (Mamata Banerjee). Bengal is the place from where the message of universal humanism was given. They (the BJP) will not succeed here. The BJP has not recovered from the pain of the 'pen drive' incident. Everyone knows the BJP is going to lose, but they want to do so with dignity. Their entire struggle is about this," he added.
On Sunday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission, accusing it of "snatching away" people's voting rights while celebrating the National Voters' Day.
In a post on X, Mamata Banerjee said she is "deeply distressed" by the EC's conduct, alleging that the poll body is "harassing people" in the name of a "logical discrepancy" in voter lists.
"The Election Commission of India is celebrating National Voters' Day today, and what a tragic farce that is! The Commission working as His Master's Voice is busy now in snatching away people's voting rights, and they have the temerity to celebrate Voters' Day! I am deeply distressed and disturbed by their conduct today," she said.
"Instead of complying with the Hon'ble Supreme Court's verdict and working as per rules and norms to provide and protect the democratic voting rights of people, ECI is finding newer and newer pretexts in the name of logical discrepancy to harass the people and try to deny them and take away from them their electoral rights," she added.
Referring to the BJP as EC's "master," Mamata Banerjee accused EC of "bulldozing the Opposition and destroying the foundation of Indian democracy, and yet they have the guts to celebrate Voters' Day."
Blaming EC for recent deaths in West Bengal, she said, "ECI, you are torturing people today in an unprecedented manner. More than 130 people have died because of your torture. Can you summon the way you are doing persons above 85, 90, 95 years of age, and even physically challenged persons to physically appear before you to prove their credentials? The stress caused by this kind of illegal pressure is leading to a series of suicides and deaths, and yet you are continuing to do this at the behest of your political masters."
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