Want CEC to be impeached: Mamata says will discuss it with Opp parties

Mamata Banerjee, who met CEC Kumar as part of her campaign against the SIR exercise in her state, on Tuesday called for the impeachment of the CEC and sought to rally support from other INDIA bloc parties on the issue.

Want CEC to be impeached: Mamata says will discuss it with Opp partiesChief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee at Banga Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)

THE TMC is considering moving an impeachment motion in Parliament against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, who met CEC Kumar in the Capital on Monday as part of her campaign against the SIR exercise in her state, on Tuesday called for the impeachment of the CEC and sought to rally support from other INDIA bloc parties on the issue.

Addressing a press conference at Banga Bhawan in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri, flanked by scores of people from West Bengal who have allegedly been affected by the SIR exercise, Mamata claimed the electors whose names were being deleted from the electoral roll “were supporters of her party”. “100% are TMC deletions… One or two maybe of other parties for face saving,” she said.

Replying to a question on whether the TMC supports Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s idea of bringing a retrospective law to hold the CEC accountable, Mamata said: “We also want him (CEC Gyanesh Kumar) to be impeached.”

“We don’t have the numbers, but there is a provision. It would be recorded. If they (Congress) do something like this, we will also discuss with our party MPs. When there is public interest, we work together,” she said.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee told The Indian Express: “Yes, we are considering it (impeachment motion). We can’t say when and how… We have started talking to other INDIA bloc parties about it.”

An EC source said a few BLOs, out of over 5 lakh working in 12 SIR states, have unfortunately died but the reasons have been other than SIR. “Many times it has been because of political pressure by AITC agents to give wrong information in the enumeration forms,” said the source.

Bengal CM to argue SIR case in SC today

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is all set to appear in person and seek permission to argue the SIR case before the Supreme Court on Wednesday. TMC leaders said an application has been moved in the court for her to appear as a “party in person”. Mamata has an LLB degree from Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College under Calcutta University. Party leaders said she last practised as a lawyer in 2003. The TMC on Tuesday night released a digital poster showing the CM dressed as a lawyer walking the stairs of the apex court with the caption “People’s advocate vs devil’s advocate”. —ENS

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More

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