West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday laid out her version of the sequence of events that led her to “boycott” the meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of arrogance, intimidation and political bias.
Speaking to reporters, Banerjee said the meeting at the Election Commission’s office on Monday quickly descended into confrontation, claiming that her delegation’s concerns were ignored. “Whatever we asked, he never replied; instead, he was threatening us,” she said. “I asked why the media was not allowed inside. When the BJP met our state Election Commissioner, the media was allowed, so why not now? Only your selected media is here, whatever you present before them, they will show and mislead the people. If you had the guts, you should have allowed the other media as well,” said the Bengal Chief Minister.
Banerjee claimed the Chief Election Commissioner’s conduct was disrespectful and aggressive. “He behaved very rudely. Earlier too, when Abhishek and others had met them, fingers were raised at us. Yesterday, he started shouting,” she said. “I told him not to shout; we are not your bonded labour or your servants. You may be here today, but tomorrow you may not be. That is how the arguments began.”
She said her delegation had approached the meeting in good faith and with courtesy.
“We expected humility. We were very humble ourselves; we even brought sweets and flowers and conveyed our regards to them. But after the way they behaved with us, we boycotted them,” she said.
Neither the chief election commissioner nor other members of the Election Commission of India have issued an official response to Banerjee’s allegations so far. However, news reports citing sources within the commission have presented a contrasting account of the meeting. According to these sources quoted in several news reports, the Trinamool Congress Supremo allegedly used abusive and threatening language towards the commission, the CEC and other election officials.
Asked about the starkly different versions of events, Banerjee dismissed the commission’s account as an attempt to protect its image. “Don’t believe the Election Commission’s version, because you were not there,” she said. “Why does the Election Commission get to decorate its version with selected media? What the Election Commission is saying is merely a face-saving formula,” asserted Banerjee.
The confrontation followed Banerjee’s visit to the EC on Monday, when she accused the poll body of “parroting” the line of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. She alleged that she was “insulted and humiliated” during the meeting with Kumar, prompting her to walk out. Accusing the Election Commission of attempting to “choose the government before the election”, Banerjee said she had “never seen an election commissioner so arrogant and such a liar” in her political career. “You have the power of the BJP. We have the power of the people. So, we boycotted the meeting,” she said on Monday, after walking out of the meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
