Will stand by citizens unfairly omitted from voter list irrespective of party colours: Mamata

Kolkata, Feb 25 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday vowed to continue her fight against the omission of citizens' names in the ongoing SIR, saying she apprehended that there is a conspiracy to delete over 80 lakh names, citing logical discrepancies.

Noting that 58 lakh names of voters were omitted after the first phase of the Special Summary Revision (SIR) exercise, Banerjee said, "By the name of logical discrepancies, at least 20 lakh more genuine voters were surreptitiously left out by February 14".

There is a conspiracy to remove 80 lakh names from the final electoral rolls by deleting an additional two lakh voters, she alleged while addressing a gathering after inaugurating several projects from her Bhawanipore constituency in the city.

Banerjee said she had gone to the Supreme Court to take up the issue of EC's move to delete names of lakhs of voters and, despite the SC's order, the poll panel has not stopped its "diabolical gameplan" by regularly issuing new directives on WhatsApp.

"I want justice. I don't want to see whether those citizens left out of the rolls are (voters of) the TMC, Congress, CPI(M) or the BJP. I am against the deletion of anyone's name... It does not matter to me whether the victims are Hindus or Muslims, or members of any other community. I will pray for them, stand by them and fight for them. I want to say live and let live," she said.

On the cosmopolitan culture of Bhawanipore, the chief minister said that members of various communities live in the constituency peacefully and celebrate their festivals together.

Underscoring her commitment to every community, she said, "I understand Gujarati, Assamese, Odiya etc. Some words are different, but the warmth, love and bonding are the same; the spirit is the same. I also relish roti, chapati, litti from Bihar, dhokla from Gujarat and other delicacies. In Bengal, we respect all languages, religions, customs, culture and food habits." Banerjee asked people of every faith to celebrate occasions like Ramzan, Holi, Doljatra, Baisakhi and others with equal gusto and spirit.

"I will pray standing here mouthing the word 'Ahimsa' (non-violence) spoken by Gandhiji; I will pray for the truth," she said at the programme.

The CM inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several projects - including the Jain Manastambha and the Sant Kutia Gurdwara Gate.

The projects also included a 100-bed mother and child hub at the Muslim pilgrimage site Furfura Sharif, a rural hospital at Gosaba in Sunderbans, refugee colonies in south Kolkata, and fire brigade stations. PTI SUS NN