Bengal BJP Urges Independent Probe into Alleged Trinamul Leader's Call for Enrolling Bangladeshis in Voters' List"

BJP Urges Independent Inquiry into Alleged Call for Enrollment of Bangladeshis in Voters' List by Trinamul Leader

In a significant development, the Bengal BJP leadership has called upon the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct an independent inquiry into the alleged remarks made by Trinamul Barasat organising district chairperson Ratna Biswas. A viral video surfaced on Friday purportedly showing Biswas instructing party workers to enroll Bangladeshi nationals in the voters' list, sparking controversy and accusations from Bengal Opposition parties.

While the authenticity of the video remains unverified, Trinamul leader Zakir Hussain, president of Habra-1 panchayat samiti and a participant in the meeting, affirmed that the comments were indeed made by Biswas. Biswas herself has not issued any comments on the matter.

The BJP leadership wasted no time and, on Saturday, submitted a written complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer of Bengal, urging the Election Commission to initiate an inquiry independent of the district administration.An alleged speech by Biswas was transcripted and included in the lawsuit. The BJP has recommended that the ECI examine this matter as well as a plethora of other purported electoral malpractice cases that the party has previously brought to light.

The BJP alleges that despite bringing instances of malpractices by the Trinamul Congress to the attention of the Election Commission, no substantial action has been taken in the past.The party argues that attempts to circumvent electoral regulations by the ruling party are not just ongoing but also becoming more and more aggressive.

Expressing their dissatisfaction with the conventional approach, the BJP has emphasized the need for an independent probe by the Election Commission, stating that using state government officials for investigation is unacceptable as they are perceived to be under the control of the ruling party.

If the Election Commission fails to respond to their appeal, the BJP has outlined its plan to take legal steps. Pratap Banerjee, a BJP state executive member, stated, "We will wait and watch for a few days. In case the EC does not take action, we will lodge an FIR."