Kolkata: A day after asking “what is being hidden” with the Election Commission not publishing the supplementary voters’ list, CM Mamata Banerjee on Friday said it was “nothing short of murder of democracy” that the panel was even turning a blind eye to Supreme Court’s orders. “What is happening now has surpassed even the atrocious rule of Hitler,” she said.On her way to Andal for her next set of election rallies beginning Saturday, Banerjee once again dared the EC to show “some courage” and publish the names in a manner that makes them accessible to common voters.Speaking to reporters at Kolkata airport. Banerjee said: “The Supreme Court directed the EC to publish the supplementary lists, but we have not received the first one yet. It is not available in public domain. This is truly unfortunate.”Pointing to the number of days that had passed since the apex court order, the CM said: “When did the Supreme Court pass the verdict? Remember, the final voters’ list was published on Feb 28.”Banerjee stressed that tribunals for each district should start functioning at the earliest. “They should reveal whose names have been retained and whose names have been removed. For those wrongfully deleted, tribunals should be set up in every district to help them get re-enrolled in the voters’ list. We will provide free legal assistance to all such people,” she said.The CM said she had “heard that nearly 50% of voters under adjudication” have been “deleted” and claimed that such deletions have been “selective”.“In one booth under Suti assembly constituency, 400 voters have been deleted out of a total of 500. In a booth in Basirhat, around 400 electors have been deleted out of roughly 600. Who has done this? People will definitely demand answers,” Banerjee said, adding that “nobody has the right to snatch away people’s democratic rights”.In several families, only one member remained on the voters’ list while four others have been deleted, the CM said, claiming that particular communities were specifically targeted.“Lakhs of names from these communities have been removed. Does BJP think they are zamindars? They should be ashamed of selling this country. Do they want to snatch away people’s voting rights and then hold an election? Will they keep running their washing machine in the name of Vanish Kumar? The people of Bengal will respond to this,” she said.Speaking on the ongoing West Asia crisis, Banerjee said she “does not want the gas produced in Haldia to go outside Bengal” during this time. “What happened with LPG? People need to cook first. Petrol is already available here, and gas is available too,” she said.While lakhs of people will come to Bengal for election duty “from outside”, it should not affect the supply for those residing within the state, she said. “It must be ensured that people here do not suffer while LPG is supplied to them. We have increased the allocation of kerosene, which will be distributed through rations. It will help families who still cook on stoves, though most people today use gas cylinders,” said Banerjee.The CM said the Centre’s decision to reduce the special additional excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10/litre each will have no impact as prices are “already inflated”. “Let the prices of diesel and petrol come down first. It’s like giving a Rs 400 discount on a saree after increasing its price by Rs 1,000. I don’t want people to suffer,” she said.
