Kolkata, March 3 – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Trinamool Congress leaders and a West Bengal Minister on Tuesday of making baseless allegations against the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal.
The BJP also claimed that the Trinamool Congress's decision to nominate former West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP), Rajeev Kumar, for the Rajya Sabha had caused distress among many other former bureaucrats close to the ruling party in the state.
Amit Malviya, the BJP's IT Cell Chief and the party's central observer for West Bengal, issued a detailed social media statement on this matter on Tuesday afternoon.
In a statement on the social media platform X, Malviya explained that the Trinamool Congress's grudge against Manoj Kumar Agarwal stemmed from his decision, as the West Bengal CEO, not to comply with the wishes of the ruling party, unlike many other bureaucrats and police officers in the state.
"The Trinamool Congress was accustomed to pliable and corrupt officials who never inconvenienced the regime. One such figure, Rajiva Sinha, former State Election Commissioner, is reportedly upset after Rajeev Kumar secured a Rajya Sabha nomination following his tenure as the state DGP, despite his evident subservience. That comfortable environment suited the ruling establishment perfectly," the BJP leader said in a social media message.
According to Malviya, the reason why the West Bengal CEO became a target of the ruling Trinamool Congress was his determination to ensure that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) proceeded strictly according to the stipulated legal framework, ignoring the machinations of the Mamata Banerjee-led state administration.
The BJP leader said that the upright attitude of the West Bengal CEO rattled the Trinamool Congress government, and therefore he became the target of the state's ruling party.
"Instead of respecting institutional integrity, the response has been a personal attack. Chandrima Bhattacharya, a junior minister with independent charge and a known loyalist of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, launched direct attacks on the West Bengal CEO. She was joined by party minions in an orchestrated smear campaign. The CEO's firm and factual rebuttal has only made these attacks look petty and desperate," Malviya's social media post said.
According to the BJP leader, such a desperate personal attack against the West Bengal CEO had raised some questions.
"Why is the Trinamool so threatened by SIR? Why plant dubious stories in the media? Why rush to the Supreme Court and return disappointed? Why threaten a dharna and target a constitutional authority? What exactly is at stake?" Malviya added.
The BJP leader concluded his social media statement claiming that West Bengal deserved transparency and integrity in its electoral process, and the people will deliver their verdict in the upcoming state Assembly polls.