Kolkata, Nov 29 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress on Saturday demanded that the Election Commission of India (ECI) immediately release the transcription of the meeting of the party’s 10-member Parliamentary delegation with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at the commission’s headquarters in Delhi on November 28.

The leader of the Parliamentary delegation, Derek O’Brien, who is also the leader of the Trinamool Congress Parliamentary party in the Rajya Sabha, said on Saturday that the meeting between the delegation and the CEC lasted around 55 minutes and the commission should release the full transcript for the sake of transparency.

On Friday evening, after the meeting, Trinamool Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee claimed that the ECI was misleading the public through selective leaks about the delegation’s point-wise rebuttal of apprehensions over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal that were raised at Friday’s meeting.

He also said the party had enough digital evidence to show how the ECI’s narrative was being distorted through planted and fabricated leaks and therefore the commission should think twice before choosing to pick a fight with West Bengal and the Trinamool Congress.

A day after the meeting, the Trinamool leadership demanded the release of the full transcript.

O’Brien also questioned why the CEC refrained from holding an official press conference to brief media persons about the proceedings of Friday’s meeting. “We have nothing to hide. If the ECI has nothing to hide it should take its time and then hold an official press briefing on the matter,” O’Brien said on Saturday.

He criticised the commission’s decision to appoint central observers to review the ongoing exercise in the state.

“The decision to appoint roll observers was taken by the commission without consulting the state government. ECI is crossing all its limits,” O’Brien said.

–IANS

src/pgh