Bharat Newz 24*7
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday launched a sharp and highly charged attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of operating without transparency and reducing crucial electoral processes to what the party mockingly described as “WhatsApp governance.”
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, senior TMC leaders questioned the Election Commission’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and demanded the immediate release of transcripts from meetings held between the party and the Commission since November last year. The briefing was addressed by Rajya Sabha MPs Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghose, and Saket Gokhale.
Derek O’Brien pointed out that it has been 51 days since the Trinamool Congress first approached the Election Commission in November. “Where are the transcripts of those meetings?” he asked, stressing that transparency cannot be selective. According to him, the party has repeatedly—over 75 times—raised concerns about the lack of openness in the SIR process.
The TMC clarified that it is not opposed to voter list revision in principle. “We are not against SIR,” O’Brien said. “We want SIR, but it must be humane, inclusive, and completely transparent. Why should the burden be pushed onto ordinary citizens?” He reiterated that both Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee have consistently maintained the same position.
Escalating the rhetoric, Trinamool leaders took a direct swipe at the Commission, alleging that critical information is selectively shared. “The Election Commission has become the WhatsApp master,” O’Brien remarked sarcastically. “If that’s the case, let them release the transcripts on WhatsApp. Otherwise, we will make them public ourselves.”
The attack didn’t stop there. Without naming him directly at first, O’Brien raised questions about the background of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, noting his previous role as a senior official in the Union Home Ministry. Referring to sensitive political developments like the abrogation of Article 370, O’Brien questioned the Commission’s independence, ending his remarks with a pointed “vanish, vanish, vanish,” underscoring what he called a troubling lack of accountability.
Further elaborating on the SIR process, O’Brien coined a biting phrase, saying SIR now appears to stand for “Software Intensive Rigging.” He accused the Commission of failing to follow even the Model Code of Conduct, which, he said, leaves no room for arbitrary interpretation.
Echoing similar concerns, Sagarika Ghose alleged that while the SIR exercise may have begun in Bihar, its real target is Bengal. “There is a systematic attempt to delete voters from electoral rolls in this state,” she claimed. According to Ghose, the Election Commission’s role has shifted dramatically—from ensuring maximum voter inclusion to prioritizing exclusion.
The Trinamool Congress maintains that its demands are straightforward: transparency, accountability, and fairness. As the party intensifies its confrontation with the Election Commission, the controversy surrounding the SIR process is rapidly becoming a flashpoint in the national political landscape.
