TMC delegation meets the Chief Election Commissioner; Highlights Aadhar Card Deactivation, Role of the Enforcement Directorate in District Intelligence Agencies and the Conduct of Central Forces in Bengal

A delegation of Trinamool Congress leaders met with the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar in New Delhi on Monday and sought his intervention to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections in the state of West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress delegation raised a gamut of issues such as the alleged deactivation of Aadhar Cards in Bengal ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the role of the Enforcement Directorate in the District Intelligence agencies, and the “highhandedness of the central forces” during the 2021 Assembly Elections. Seeking the immediate intervention of the Election Commission of India, Trinamool Congress MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Pratima Mondal, Dola Sen, Sajda Ahmed, and Saket Gokhale urged the Chief Election Commissioner to look into the concerns flagged by them.

“Questionable role of ED in District Intelligence Committees”

In a letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner, the Trinamool Congress brought his attention to the alleged “questionable role” played by the Enforcement Directorate in the District Intelligence agencies. “The ECI has decided to create District Intelligence Committees for financially sensitive areas. These committees will have both state and central agency members, including police, IT, excise, GST, and ED officers among others. This is the first time such a committee is being formed for West Bengal,” read the letter. Casting aspersions on the Enforcement Directorate’s purported biased conduct; the Trinamool Congress leadership not only provided data that supports their claims but also, said that it is “imperative” that the ED’s role in such District Intelligence agencies is questioned.

“Aadhaar deactivation”

The TMC delegation also mentioned the issue of alleged deactivation of Aadhar Cards of the people of Bengal. They stated that the Aadhar Cards of thousands of people in West Bengal have been suspended, in complete violation of Regulations 29 (1,2 and 3) of the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations 2016. Underscoring the “arbitrariness” of the deactivation process, the TMC leaders requested the ECI to look into the matter as writing letters to the Prime Minister and the Unique Identification Authority of India failed to yield any results. We refer this to you only because there is genuine apprehension about the deletion of names of Aadhaar card holders from the electoral role whose names have been omitted/deactivated by the Aadhaar authorities illegally and without adhering to due process of law. In this situation, we seek your protection so that the affected persons are not debarred from casting their votes in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections,” wrote the Trinamool Congress delegation.

“Chopra tragedy, four children dead”

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“Uttar Dinajpur's Chopra witnessed a heart-wrenching tragedy. Four innocent children Gulam, Islam, Yousuf and Taleb, aged 5-12 lost their lives during BSF's drain expansion work,” wrote the TMC bringing the ECI’s attention to the “Chopra tragedy” that claimed the life of 4 children, owing to “the gross negligence of the BSF.”

Urging the Central Forces to behave, function and conduct themselves as per requirements of law- under the proper supervision of ECI, the issue of the deployment of around 1000 companies of Central Agencies in West Bengal during the 2021 Assembly elections was also raised. In the letter, Trinamool Congress alleged that in many places the central forces while conducting route marches banged on the “doors of people’s houses. The residents were threatened with dire consequences if there was any violence in the areas.” In addition, the delegation stated that the “highhandedness of the central forces that went unabated” resulted in shots being fired by the forces during the polling day in the Shitalkuchi area of Coochbehar district. “In the circumstances, we urge upon you to ensure that the Central Forces behave, function and conduct themselves as per requirements of law- under the proper supervision of ECI and State government officials during the ensuing Lok Sabha elections,” read the letter.​​