Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], February 2 : West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Monday said he would take up the concerns raised by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs with the state government, the Chief Electoral Officer and the Central Government.
Speaking to reporters, Bose said, "That is the message (that the state government is not cooperating with the LoP) which is given by the Leader of Opposition, who came with a large number of MLAs. They have a complaint, which I will take up with the state government, the Chief Electoral Officer and the Government of India."
The West Bengal Governor's remarks came amid a political storm in the state over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and escalating tensions between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government and the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Commenting on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent visit to Delhi to meet the Election Commission, Bose emphasised the importance of democratic functioning.
"India is a democratic country. Everyone has the right to oppose anything mooted by the authorities; what is required is that democracy continues. We cannot sleep in a democracy," he said.
The developments come in the backdrop of sharp exchanges between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Trinamool Congress leaders.
Earlier today, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar responded to the queries of Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who led a party delegation to the EC, and explained to them that the rule of law shall prevail in the SIR process and anybody taking the law into their own hands shall be dealt with strictly as per rules, ECI sources said.
The sources said that despite the polite posture of the Chief Election Commissioner and the two Election Commissioners, the Trinamool Congress leader "raised false allegations, misbehaved, thumped the table and left".
"The CEC responded to her queries and explained that rule of law shall prevail and anybody taking the law into their own hands shall be dealt with strictly as per the provisions of law and powers vested in the Commission," a source said.
The sources said that TMC MLAs are openly using abusive and threatening language against the Election Commission and especially against the CEC. They are also threatening the election officials, the sources said.
Earlier on Monday, Mamata Banerjee, along with National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, party MP Kalyan Banerjee and others, visited the ECI office in Delhi.
Banerjee emerged from the ECI office in Delhi, claiming, "I am very sad. I have been involved in politics in Delhi for a very long time. I was a minister four times and an MP seven times. I have never seen such an Election Commissioner who is so arrogant, who is such a liar. I told him that I respect your chair because no chair is permanent for anyone. One day you have to go. Why Bengal is being targeted. Elections are a festival in a democracy, but you deleted the names of 58 lakh people and did not allow them to defend themselves."
As per the AITC tweet, "At Hailey Road, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee stood beside the families affected by the SIR process, and made it clear that no pressure, no authority, and no conspiracy can crush the rights or the dignity of Bengal's people."
West Bengal is scheduled to go to the polls in the first half of this year.