Why is Udayan Guha on Hunger Strike? The Shocking Truth Behind Voter Roll Deletions in West Bengal

Protests Erupt Over Voter Roll Issues in West Bengal

Kolkata: In a bold move, North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha initiated a hunger strike in Dinhata on Monday, following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's lead. This protest is against what he claims is the unjust removal of names from West Bengal's electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

Guha accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of acting under the influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that ordinary voters' names were being systematically eliminated. Under his guidance, Trinamool Congress leaders and supporters have also joined in a mass hunger strike in Dinhata.

The minister expressed that the protest aims to highlight the significant number of voter names categorized as 'under adjudication' due to what he termed 'logical discrepancies.'

He pointed out that over 237,000 voters in Cooch Behar district have been placed in this pending category.

Guha stated, “Our party members are also protesting in Kolkata under Mamata Banerjee's leadership. The biased Election Commission, influenced by the BJP, is either removing common voters' names or placing them on a pending list, causing distress. They have not provided clarity on when this pending list will be resolved. Therefore, we have initiated a mass hunger strike today in Dinhata.”

He further criticized both the BJP and the Election Commission, asserting, “The Commission is tasked with ensuring fair elections in a democracy and must remain neutral. Throughout my life, I have witnessed many Election Commissions, but I have never encountered one as biased as this. They seem to operate with the BJP's interests in mind. However, they fail to understand that Bengal's populace is much more aware and is preparing to counter this conspiracy to oust the BJP from the state.”

The BJP has consistently claimed that the SIR process will help identify Rohingyas and illegal infiltrators.

In response, Guha stated, “We insist that the voting rights of all individuals born here must be safeguarded. If any Rohingyas or infiltrators are identified, they should be excluded and penalized if necessary. However, it appears that where the BJP is weak, there is a systematic exclusion of voter names.”

When questioned about the duration of his hunger strike, Guha replied, “I will continue as long as I have breath.”

It is noteworthy that Mamata Banerjee had previously commenced a sit-in protest in Kolkata last Friday, condemning the Election Commission's arbitrary actions regarding voter name removals.