West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari vowed to oust 'Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators' without detention camps. CM Mamata Banerjee hit back, accusing the BJP of 'illegal voter deletion' and called on women to lead the fight against the move.
Adhikari Vows to Remove Bangladeshi Infiltrators
West Bengal Leader of the Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Suvendu Adhikari called for the removal of Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators from the state and said there is no need to establish detention camps in West Bengal for infiltrators. While reacting to Mamata Bannerjee's statement on SIR, the state LoP further declared that not a single Bangladeshi Muslim will live in this state and only Indians, whether Hindus or muslims, will live in West Bengal. "...There will be no need for detention camps in Bengal. We will drive out Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators...Every Indian will live here, whether Hindu or Muslim, but not a single Bangladeshi Muslim will live here. There is no need for detention camps here..." Adhikari told ANI.
Mamata Banerjee Accuses BJP of 'Illegal Voter Deletion'
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged women in the state to "lead the fight" against the alleged "illegal voter deletion" through the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. She asked men to provide support from behind. Addressing a gathering at Krishnanagar, Nadia, Mamata Banerjee alleged that the BJP wants to "take away" the rights and "terrify" women, and urged them to show that women are "more powerful" than the BJP." Through SIR, they [BJP] want to take away the rights of women. During elections, they want to use Central forces to terrify the women. Do you have the strength to fight if your names are removed? Women should lead the fight and men should fight from the back. I want to see whether our women are more powerful or the BJP," Mamata Banerjee said.
Accusing the BJP of "pressurising" the District Magistrate, Mamata Banerjee vowed to do a sit-in protest if names are removed "deliberately" from the voter lists. "I have not come here to seek votes. I have come here to urge you to enrol your names in the electoral list. From Delhi, the BJP is sending people to pressurise the DMs with the intent of removing 1.5 crore names from the electoral list. If any name is deliberately removed, I will do a sit-in protest. I urge you to do the same," Mamata Banerjee said.
ECI Extends Deadlines for Electoral Roll Revision
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India, after Kerala, has extended the deadlines for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in five States and one Union Territory. As per the revised schedule, the enumeration period for Tamil Nadu and Gujarat has been extended to December 14, with the draft roll to be published on December 19. The enumeration period for Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands will end on December 18, with the draft rolls on December 23. Uttar Pradesh received an extension of 15 days with the enumeration period ending on December 26 and draft rolls to be published on December 31, ECI said in a press note.
In the earlier schedule, the enumeration period for these six States and UTs was until December 11, and the draft electoral rolls were published on December 16. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)