February 03 (TSP Bangla) – The Bengal Assembly is expected to witness a heated debate on Friday over the situation in the state following the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The discussion is likely to be taken up during what will be the final session of the third Mamata Banerjee government.
The session will begin on Tuesday and continue until February 12. Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya is scheduled to table the interim state budget on Thursday.
Friday’s discussion on the SIR will last an hour.
“There will be a one-hour discussion on the situation that has arisen in Bengal following the SIR exercise, during which many people have died in the state. The people are worried over the situation that has been created over the conduct of the SIR,” said Speaker Biman Banerjee.
The Speaker informed the House that two proposals had been submitted for discussion, one by Trinamool MLA Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay on behalf of the government and another by ISF MLA Nawsad Siddiqui. It was stated that the debate would be held on the basis of the proposal moved by the government.
The announcement came on a day when chief minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, held a stormy meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi over the Bengal SIR issue.
Sources indicated that Mamata Banerjee was likely to participate in the Assembly discussion.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who has alleged that Mamata Banerjee was responsible for harassment and deaths linked to the issue, confirmed that the BJP would take part in the debate to counter the Trinamool Congress.
“We will take part in the debate. However, unfortunately, the Assembly has allotted only one hour to discuss a serious issue like the SIR. The ruling dispensation and the Opposition will be allowed to speak for 30 minutes each,” said Adhikari after meeting with governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Monday.
Sources said the decision to include the SIR in the Assembly’s business agenda comes at a time when the Trinamool Congress has stepped up its campaign on the issue ahead of the forthcoming elections. The party has alleged that the Election Commission, allegedly acting in concert with the BJP, has been attempting to remove the names of genuine Bengal voters who are not inclined towards the saffron camp.
Within the BJP, there have been murmurs that the SIR initially projected as politically advantageous for the party has turned into a potent tool for the Trinamool. This follows allegations that lakhs of people have been harassed after being summoned for hearings over alleged “logical discrepancies” in the electoral rolls.
Mamata Banerjee has already approached the Supreme Court over the SIR and has also raised the matter during protests in the national capital.
Sensing the political narrative being shaped by the Trinamool and its strong opposition to the revision exercise, the BJP leadership has sought to counter the charge. The party has claimed that state government officials, acting under instructions from Mamata Banerjee and her party leaders, have been deliberately harassing voters.
Suvendu Adhikari alleged that Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Delhi and her move to the apex court were aimed at stalling the SIR process and pushing for elections to be conducted on the basis of the 2002 electoral rolls. “We will not let this happen,” he said. “We will not allow any election without an electoral roll free from Rohingya, Bangladeshi infiltrators and fake voters.”
He said that if the Assembly elections were not held on time, President’s rule would automatically come into force in the state.
Trinamool Congress insiders, however, maintained that Mamata Banerjee’s aggressive campaign against the SIR had energised the party cadre ahead of the summer elections. According to them, the movement had helped consolidate support at the grassroots level.
They also claimed that leaders in the Bengal BJP were concerned about the changing political mood, as anti-incumbency sentiments against the state government had weakened amid the controversies and hardships linked to the SIR exercise.
Speaker Biman Banerjee on Monday called upon other chief ministers to extend support to Mamata Banerjee in her protest against the SIR.
“I urge chief ministers of other states (non-BJP-ruled states) to stand by her as she has been fighting for democracy,” said the Speaker.
