New Delhi, April 8 The meeting between a Trinamool Congress delegation and the full bench of the Election Commission on Wednesday ended on a contentious note, with the TMC saying the panel's chief asked them to "go away" at the end of the seven-minute meeting, while the EC accused them of "shouting".
After the meeting, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien told mediapersons that they handed over letters from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, and also informed him of specific instances of poll officials having links with the BJP.
"Then he said, 'Get out'. We have had eight to nine meetings with the Election Commission. Apart from the CEC, none of the other election commissioners spoke," O'Brien said.
"While we were leaving, one of my colleagues congratulated Gyanesh Kumar for being the only CEC to have notices moved in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for his removal," O'Brien MP said.
Meanwhile, sources in the Election Commission said the poll panel chief gave a "straightforward" conversation to TMC leaders.
They accused O'Brien of shouting at the election commissioners and alleged that he asked the CEC not to speak.
The EC sources further said that the elections in West Bengal would be "free from fear, violence, intimidation, and inducement".