"Bengal's Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, Stands Firm: No One Takes Away Voting Privileges in Bengal"
Mamata Banerjee Stands Firm on Voting Rights, Accuses Opposition and Central Government
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has pledged to prevent anyone from stripping the people of Bengal of their voting rights, as she accused certain groups of financing films intended to malign Bengal. This statement came at the foundation day event of the Trinamool Congress student wing, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), held at Mayo Road in central Kolkata.
Banerjee's comments were in response to the recent controversy over the trailer launch of Vivek Agnihotri's film The Bengal Files, which some believe to be politically motivated.
In another development, Banerjee intervened to restore funding for researchers at Burdwan University, after learning that it had been halted by the Vice Chancellor, who was appointed by the West Bengal Governor.
The Chief Minister has also accused the CPI-M-led Left of aligning with the BJP against the Trinamool Congress. This allegation follows Banerjee's criticism of the BJP-led Central government for allegedly conspiring to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) under the guise of the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Banerjee has accused the BJP of wanting to conduct the NRC disguised as voter list revision and has warned the people of West Bengal to check if their names still appear on the voter list and to ensure they have their Aadhaar cards.
In a related matter, Banerjee has accused the Election Commission of overstepping its mandate and intimidating state government officials by issuing directives beyond its three-month election period authority.
The Chief Minister has also accused certain individuals and opposition parties of resorting to legal action to obstruct her government's functioning.
On a more positive note, Banerjee expressed regret over the delay in the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination results.
In a separate development, Banerjee is writing a book about the Prime Ministers she has encountered during her political career, which is scheduled for release at the International Kolkata Book Fair next year. The name of the book is "Unveiling Power"—a political memoir offering candid reflections on her personal experiences with various Prime Ministers of India.
This article is based on information provided by IANS.
