West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the Election Commission of India for frequently transferring bureaucrats and police officers in the state and assigning them as observers in other poll-bound states. She expressed concern over this trend, calling it alarming even before the formal notification of elections. Banerjee accused the ECI of targeting West Bengal specifically, removing over 50 senior officials, including the Chief Secretary and police officers, which she labeled as political interference.
The Chief Minister accused the ECI of politicizing impartial institutions, describing it as a direct assault on the Indian Constitution. She highlighted the ongoing flawed SIR process and loss of lives, indicating a bias by the Commission towards political interests. Banerjee criticized the large-scale transfers and deputations as a deliberate attempt to control West Bengal through coercion and institutional manipulation.
Banerjee expressed solidarity with the transferred officers, emphasizing their honesty and commitment to the state. She condemned the alleged attempts by the BJP to capture Bengal through coercion and misuse of institutions. The Chief Minister affirmed Bengal’s resilience against intimidation and divisive agendas, vowing to resist and defeat any such attempts on the state.
