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Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Friday criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her sharp allegations against the BJP over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, calling her remarks "irresponsible" and unbecoming of a state leader. His response came hours after the Chief Minister urged women across Bengal to "lead the fight" against what she termed "illegal voter deletions".
"Being the Chief Minister of a state, such an irresponsible statement should not come from her mouth. If the Election Commission has issued such a direction, there must be an order or circular regarding it," Majumdar said, adding that the BJP was confident of returning to power at the Centre in 2029. Addressing a public gathering in Krishnanagar, Nadia, Mamata Banerjee alleged that the BJP was attempting to "take away" the rights of women and "terrify" them during elections by misusing Central forces and influencing officials. Claiming that the Centre was pressuring District Magistrates to remove up to 1.5 crore names from electoral lists, she urged women to resist the move. She announced her readiness to launch a sit-in protest if deletions were carried out "deliberately". Banerjee further alleged that BJP leaders were monitoring district officials and intimidating them. She warned that the ruling party at the Centre "would not remain in power forever" and accused agencies of acting at the BJP's behest. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India on Thursday extended the deadlines for SIR activities in five states and one Union Territory. As per the revised schedule, enumeration in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat will continue until December 14, while Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands will complete the exercise on December 18. Uttar Pradesh received a 15-day extension, with enumeration ending on December 26. The publication of draft rolls in these regions has also been rescheduled accordingly. The earlier enumeration deadline across these six regions was December 11, with draft rolls scheduled for December 16. (ANI)
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