A day after the Election Commission ordered the immediate replacement of DGP Rajeev Kumar –a close confidante of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – the Trinamool Congress today hit back at the poll panel. Senior Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien alleged that the Election Commission had become an extension of the Bharatiya Janata Party and demanded that the Supreme Court should monitor the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Reacting to Derek O’Brien’s election tweet, West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar said that O’Brien and his party want to form a new Constitution. Sukanta Majumdar said: “Derek O’Brien and his party leaders want to make a new Constitution. Let us do one thing, we should let Mamata Banerjee write the new Constitution…ECI has been given the responsibility to conduct elections. It will not work like the State Election Commission and do whatever Mamata Banerjee will say.”
Derek O’Brien said that the Trinamool Congress demanded a Supreme Court-monitored Lok Sabha polls considering BJP’s alleged tricks of “destroying” institutions like the Election Commission of India.
The Rajya Sabha member asked whether the BJP is so nervous of facing the people that it is turning the poll panel into “its party office”.
“BJP’s filthy tricks are destroying institutions like the Election Commission of India. Are the BJP so nervous to face people that they are turning ECI into a party office to target the Opposition? ECI or His Master’s Voice?” O’Brien posted on X.
On March 18, the Election Commission had ordered the removal of several top officials in Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP and West Bengal — including West Bengal police chief Rajeev Kumar.
“Transferring officers of elected State Governments! For free and fair elections, we want Supreme Court-monitored Election 2024”, the Trinamool Congress leader said.
The EC order yesterday sent to the West Bengal Chief Secretary had instructed that the DGP Rajeev Kumar be shifted to a “non-election related post” with immediate effect. He was replaced by another IPS officer Vivek Sahay.
Today, the Election Commission of India issued another order naming IPS Sanjoy Mukherjee as the DGP, replacing Vivek Sahay, who is scheduled to retire in May before the polling process ends on June 4.
State Government sources said that the Election Commission wanted a DGP who would oversee the entire poll process from beginning to end, and since Sahay would be retiring mid-way, the EC had named Sanjoy Mukherjee. However, Election Commission sources pointed out that Vivek Sahay had been once suspended by the poll panel. He was the Director of Security when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly suffered an injury while campaigning for the 2021 Assembly elections and had to continue campaigning while using a wheelchair.
“Sahay, a year senior to Kumar, was named in the interim till the State Government submitted a fresh panel of candidates,” said a Government official. “Since Kumar was removed with immediate effect, the chair could not remain vacant.”
The State Government had sent three names for consideration to the top post of the police. The three names recommended by the State Government, included Sahay, Mukherjee and Dr Rajesh Kumar, a 1990-batch IPS officer and currently member secretary West Bengal Pollution Control Board.
The EC’s orders prompted a political duel between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Opposition BJP, with the saffron camp welcoming the move.
Trinamool Congress leader and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh says, “We have seen that the BJP is trying its best to grab different organisations including ECI. They have taken over the control of Central agencies and different organisations. In this case also, after the announcement of Lok Sabha elections, what we see is the reflection of BJP. It is trying its best to grab and monitor the functioning of these kinds of organisations, including ECI.”