TMC against SIR to prevent deletion of names of infiltrators in voter list: Dharmendra Pradhan

Garbeta (WB), Mar 1 (PTI) Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday alleged that the TMC's objections to the omission of names during the SIR exercise stem from its fear that the votebank of "infiltrators" will not be of use in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls.

Addressing a rally before flagging off the party’s ‘Poriborton Yatra’ in Paschim Medinipur district, the senior BJP leader claimed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had tried to stall the SIR of electoral rolls by approaching the Supreme Court to enable "infiltrators" to cast votes, but her attempts did not succeed.

"Do you wish names of Bangladeshi or Rohingya infiltrators to be included in the electoral rolls? Do you wish them to enjoy amenities meant for bona fide residents like you? You want a Bengal of Bengalis or of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis?" he asked the gathering.

"Those infiltrators who crossed into Bengal and lived here with fake documents would be driven out," he said.

Pradhan claimed that after the SIR, names of only genuine citizens figure in the electoral rolls and "ghosts and infiltrators" have been omitted, triggering panic within the ruling party.

He said if there are cases of omission of genuine voters, they were limited and due to technical issues, which were being addressed by the Election Commission.

Asserting that the ‘Poriborton Yatra’ would culminate in the ouster of the Mamata Banerjee government and usher in a "double-engine" BJP regime, Pradhan said one engine would run from Delhi and the other from Kolkata to accelerate development in the state.

"Not a single genuine citizen of Bengal is going to be omitted. TMC is misleading the issue and creating a false narrative," he added.

"People of Bengal had expected ‘poriborton’ in 2011 after 34 years of Left rule. Though the Left was removed, the condition of the people worsened. From shrinking employment opportunities for youth to concerns over women’s safety and flight of business, the state, once a frontrunner, is now lagging," he alleged.

The youth of Bengal want jobs, not allowance. Women want safety on roads and at workplaces. BJP will ensure that, he said.

Accusing the state government of failing to utilise central funds, he claimed that the Centre had sanctioned large sums for Bengal, but the money remained unspent due to "narrow political reasons".

"The Centre had allocated Rs 10,000 crore for schools in Bengal, but the amount was left unutilised. From providing drinking water to every household to infrastructure development in schools, the state government is not doing the needful and is passing the blame on the Centre," he said.

Pradhan also alleged that hundreds of schools in cities and districts were either in poor condition or had closed down.

"Even in higher education, we sanctioned Rs 1,000 crore for Jadavpur University, but due to the state’s dithering attitude, the amount could not be utilised," he added. PTI SUS RG MNB