Kolkata, April 13 (IANS) Trinamool Congress’s general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday promised to restore voting rights of those whose names have been removed from the state’s voter list post Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Speaking at an election rally in Nadia district’s Karimpur, Banerjee said the voting rights of such people will be restored within a month after forming a new government in West Bengal after the Assembly polls.

On Monday, he held a meeting in Karimpur to support the party candidates in the upcoming Assembly elections.

“Names have been removed from the voter’s list after SIR, despite their strong will and documents being correct. I appeal to you to give your vote directly to Mamata Banerjee, whose government will be formed on May 4. Gyanesh Kumar will vanish. After that, Mamata Banerjee’s government will restore the voting rights within a month. This is our oath,” he said.

Reminding that this issue is not in the Trinamool’s election manifesto, Abhishek Banerjee said, “It is not in the election manifesto of our party. But it is in our mind. BJP said it would do the NRC. We did not let it happen. BJP means detention. Trinamool means no tension.”

He further attacked the BJP by raising the issue again from another public meeting in Ranaghat of the same district. He alleged, “The names of the Matuas are excluded. Those who had won elections before with the votes of these people have now taken away their voting rights. The Trinamool government is giving Lakshmi Bhandar and houses to those who voted for the BJP. They should realise now that they have been cheated.”

On this day, Abhishek Banerjee also raised multiple issues from the meeting and attacked the BJP. He accused the BJP of attacking Bengali culture.

Banerjee alleged that the BJP is repeatedly attacking the people for eating fish and meat. Calling on Trinamool candidates to win the elections, he warned, “BJP is thinking of punishing these people by stopping money. Bengalis will show what punishment is on May 4. They will stand in queue on the day of voting to protest the lockdown, demonetisation and standing in SIR queues.”

–IANS

sch/uk