Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Thursday criticised the Trinamul Congress (TMC) over its reported plan to move an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Parliament, alleging that the move was politically motivated.
Reacting to the proposal, Mr Ghosh said the ruling party in West Bengal was attempting to raise such issues merely to “show and save its existence.” “To show their existence and to save their existence, they are bringing all kinds of impeachment motions. Even the no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla collapsed,” the BJP leader said.
The remarks came after TMC MP Saugata Roy on 10 March spoke about his party’s plan to move an impeachment motion against the CEC, alleging serious irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. Mr Roy said the party intends to bring the motion under the provisions of the Constitution, claiming that there were several complaints regarding the handling of the electoral roll revision process. He alleged that the manner in which the exercise was conducted, along with the publication of the voters’ list, raised serious concerns and required scrutiny. An impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner can be moved in Parliament under Article 324(5) of the Constitution, which states that the CEC can be removed from office only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.
The proposal has also received support from Rajiv Rai of the Samajwadi Party. Meanwhile, Mr Ghosh also criticised the TMC leadership for raising questions over the recent resignation of former West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose. “If someone does not listen to you, you try to defame them. Earlier, the kind of language that was used against the Governor ~ now the same people are lamenting his departure,” he said. Mr Bose recently resigned from the gubernatorial post and submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu. Describing his decision as a “conscious” one, he said the reasons behind it would remain confidential for the time being.
Earlier this week, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that there was a “story” behind the Governor’s removal and said she would look into the matter. Following the resignation, R N Ravi has been appointed as the new Governor of West Bengal.