Mamata Banerjee Aide's "Would Break Legs" Threat To Poll Body, BJP

West Bengal Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has stoked controversy through his remarks that the state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) would "break the legs" of the Election Commission (EC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if there were any discrepancies in the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state.

There was no immediate comment from the poll body but the BJP hit out at the state government accusing it of "inciting violence" by allegedly protecting "illegal infiltrators". 

Hakim made the remarks after the Trinamool held an all-party meeting over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, along the lines of Bihar, that has created a political row nationwide ahead of Bengal assembly elections next year. 

"There was an all-party meeting organised by the All India Trinamool Congress and I have made it clear that we will lodge a protest if the name of even one genuine voter has been removed from the list. We will not allow the removal of the name of any genuine voter from the list," Hakim, considered a close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said. 

"Besides, the camps that are being opened on the pretext of implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act, if this is happening with the joint efforts of the BJP and the EC... we will protest this and if need be, we will break their legs...," he added. 

BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari hit out at the Trinamool government over the minister's remarks.

"Mamta Banerjee's right hand Boby Hakim says:"We will break the leg of Election Commission " for SIR! Open threat to Constitutional Body by TMC! For protecting 'illegal infiltrators' TMC  inciting violence!" he said on X. 

"Mamta Banerjee earlier had as Chief & Home Minister warned of riots! Is TMC planning state sponsored violence for vote bank consolidation in Bengal?" he added. 

The CAA was enacted in December 2019 for granting Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would oppose the CAA, the rules for which were notified last year, if it discriminated against people.

The EC on Monday announced that it will conduct phase two of the SIR in 12 states and Union Territories - the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal - between November and February.

The CPI(M) demanded that the voters' list be published in a transparent manner. The Congress questioned the exercise, and said the poll body's intentions and credibility were under suspicion as neither the voters nor the opposition were satisfied with it.

Amid criticisms, Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal on Tuesday said not a single genuine elector's name would be struck off the voters' list following the completion of the SIR of electoral rolls in the state.

He assured that the list would be 100 per cent fair and transparent.

"I would like to assure you that not a single legitimate voter's name would be excluded from the list. We are hopeful that it would be a 100 per cent fair voter list," Agarwal told reporters.