Siliguri— West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sharply criticised the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, branding it “votebandi” and demanding that the Election Commission immediately halt the process.
Speaking to reporters in Siliguri, Banerjee compared the exercise to the 2016 demonetisation, calling it another form of “super emergency.” She alleged that the BJP-led central government was using the revision drive to harass citizens.
“Just like demonetisation was ‘notebandi,’ this SIR is ‘votebandi.’ I don’t understand the rush to conduct such an exercise right before elections,” Banerjee said. “The Election Commission cannot complete a proper voter list revision in two or three months. It is being done forcibly.”
The Chief Minister accused the Centre of attempting to curtail democratic rights. “The BJP can send me to jail or even cut my throat for opposing this, but I will continue to speak out. Do not take away people’s right to vote,” she asserted.
Banerjee also lashed out at the Goods and Services Tax (GST), calling it a “blunder” that has burdened common citizens. “The central government is looting people in the name of GST,” she said, renewing her demand for a rollback of the tax structure.
