All India Trinamool Congress General Secretary and party MP Abhishek Banerjee chairs a review meeting on initiatives like Amader Para and Amader Samadhan, in Kolkata on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. (Photo: IANS/X/@AITCofficial)
Kolkata, Aug 8 (IANS) Trinamool Congress General Secretary and newly appointed leader of the party’s Parliamentary team in Lok Sabha, Abhishek Banerjee, on Friday said that he will "gherao" and stage protest demonstrations with lakhs of protesters in front of the office of the Election Commission of India if the name of a single voter in West Bengal is deleted from the voters’ list.
“If a single name in West Bengal is deleted from the voters’ list in the state, we will arrange for ‘gherao’ of ECI’s office with lakhs of protestors. BJP is taking West Bengal as a ‘test-trial’ case of its political experiments since 2014 when the party came to power at the Centre. But the ‘test-trial’ experiments failed in each and every election. So now they have started the ploy to delete the names of poor people of West Bengal from the voters’ lists. The ECI is acting on the behest of the BJP in this ploy,” Banerjee told newspersons while speaking to the media persons outside Kolkata airport after returning from Delhi on Friday afternoon.
Speaking on the occasion, he also said in the discussion among all the opposition parties on the special intensive revision proposed by ECI earlier this week, leaders of all opposition parties unanimously condemned how the commission was acting on the behest of the BJP.
“On August 11, a delegation from the opposition INDIA bloc, including representatives from AITC, will visit the Election Commission to put forward our complaints,” Banerjee said.
Speaking on the occasion, he also accused the Union government of releasing funds to the West Bengal government’s rightful share of MGNREGA funds, despite clear court orders in the matter.
“Additionally, the Rs 2,500 crore allocated for the Jal Jeevan Mission in Bengal has been halted. A delegation of our MPs will meet with both the Union Minister of Rural Development and the Union Minister of Jal Shakti. The reason behind the withholding of Bengal’s funds must be answered,” he said.
--IANS
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