Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress leader Manirul Islam on Wednesday said the Election Commission will be “hunted down from the netherworld” and “taught a lesson” as the impasse continues between the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government and poll body over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).Manirul Islam, threatening the Election Commission of India, is not his first brush with controversy, as the Farakka MLA was accused of leading a mob to the Block Development Office (BDO) in his constituency and ransacking the space, leaving officials injured last week.After the incident, BJP MLA Gouri Sankar attacked Mamata Banerjee for instigating her party cadres across the state to commit riots and violence.Lashing out at the ruling TMC over its MLA threatening the EC, the BJP on Wednesday accused CM Mamata Banerjee of “asking her MLA to intimidate officials”.“Manirul Islam, a sitting TMC MLA, openly threatens the Election Commission of India, saying it will be “taught a lesson” and “hunted down from underground.” Mamata Banerjee as Home Minister is asking her MLA to intimidate officials! TMC protects illegal infiltrators!” BJP’s national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari posted on X.Manirul Islam’s remark comes days after tension was reported over the submission of Form 7 across Bengal districts on Tuesday as Trinamool and BJP workers blocked roads and staged protests.The violence prompted Trinamool to appeal to people not to be “provoked”. “The anger and frustration is understandable. But the fight has to be fought in courtrooms and on EVMs. CM Mamata Banerjee is fighting for you. Do not fall for provocation,” said party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari accused the TMC of unleashing “statewide anarchy” to derail the SIR exercise.At Mogra in Hooghly, BJP workers blocked GT Road and demanded they be given an opportunity to submit Form 7 in the presence of the central security force.Mamata backs SC’s logical discrepancies rulingMeanwhile, Mamata Banerjee personally addressed concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, urging district magistrates to ensure that voters face no inconvenience over “logical discrepancies.”Banerjee made the remarks during an unexpected meeting with district magistrates at the state secretariat, Nabanna, which was chaired by chief secretary Nandini Chakraborty.“The CM made it clear that all hearings related to SIR must be conducted strictly in accordance with the apex court’s directives. She specifically instructed officials to ensure that people are not put to inconvenience under the pretext of logical discrepancies,” a senior official said.The Supreme Court had on Monday directed the Election Commission to display the names of those on the ‘logical discrepancies’ list at gram panchayat bhavans and block offices, where documents and objections can also be submitted. The apex court also granted electors an additional 10 days to submit documents to confirm their inclusion in the state electoral roll.The latest directions have brought relief to several voters in Kolkata who were summoned for hearings after discrepancies were found in their voter records.PM Modi slams parties protecting illegal immigrantsPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday doubled down on his government’s ambition to detect and deport illegal immigrants in the country, while strongly criticising the political parties “protecting or covering up for illegal immigrants for the sake of vote bank politics”.Addressing the party workers after the new BJP chief Nitin Nabin took charge, PM Modi said: “Illegal immigrants pose a great threat to the country’s security. Identifying them and sending them back to their countries is absolutely essential.”“No country in the world accepts illegal immigrants. India, too, cannot allow illegal immigrants to steal the rights of our poor and our youth. Illegal immigrants pose a great threat to the country’s security. Identifying them and sending them back to their countries is absolutely essential,” PM Modi said during an address at the BJP headquarters.Without naming any political party, but in an apparent attack on Trinamool Congress (TMC), which rules the poll-bound West Bengal, PM Modi lashed out at parties “covering up for illegal immigrants” and said: “We must expose them to the public”.
