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Trinamool vs EC on Bengal SIR: ‘Hearing notice’ to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen is latest flashpoint
A family member of Amartya Sen told PTI that the enumeration form of the renowned economist was duly filled and submitted to the poll body
Politics over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) continues to gather momentum in West Bengal ahead of the assembly polls. In the latest flashpoint, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that eminent economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has been served a notice by the Election Commission for a hearing under the SIR process.
While addressing a rally at Rampurhat in Birbhum district, Abhishek Banerjee said Amartya Sen has been called for a hearing by the Election Commission even as he urged his supporters to "un-map the BJP from Bengal" and ensure victory for TMC in the upcoming elections, due in March-April, news agency PTI reported.
The remarks by the TMC MP are being seen as ammunition in the party’s ongoing agitation against what it alleges are serious procedural lapses and irregularities in the SIR, which it claims is being carried out in haste.
"On my way here, I was told that Professor Amartya Sen, the Nobel laureate who brought global recognition to our country, has been served with an SIR hearing notice. Many eminent people like actor Dev and cricketer Mohammed Shami, who was part of Team India's World Cup-winning squad, were also served notices," Banerjee said, according to PTI.
He said that the only way to respond to the "insult is by winning all 11 seats that Birbhum has to offer in the state assembly".
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP and actor Dev, whose real name is Deepak Adhikari, and cricketer Shami were indeed served SIR notices.
What we know about Amartya Sen's SIR notice
A family member of Amartya Sen told news agency PTI that the SIR enumeration form of the renowned economist was duly filled and submitted to the poll body.
Election Commission officials in West Bengal confirmed to HT.com that a hearing notice was served to Sen.
However, moments after the claim by Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee, NDTV cited its sources in the Election Commission as saying that in his case it was “just a spelling error” in the form. There was a mismatch in the system, and a computer-generated notice was sent to him, NDTV further reported citing the sources; adding that Sen may not be required to be present before the poll body for a hearing.
One of Sen's family members reportedly told PTI that they had not yet received any hearing notice.
There was no official word yet from the EC or the state poll authorities on the matter related to Amartya Sen.
The ongoing SIR process has been on in Bengal for the last two months, where the second phase of roll revision is underway.
CM Mamata Banerjee has raised the alleged irregularities and lapses in the SIR exercise in three letters to the Election Commission and countless political rallies, where she has tried to bring a BJP connection in the issue.
Last month, the Election Commission published the draft electoral rolls after the first phase of the SIR, with the electorate dropping from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore following the deletion of over 58 lakh names.
The second phase, which began on December 27, involves hearings of 1.67 crore electors under scrutiny, including 1.36 crore flagged for logical discrepancies and 31 lakh whose records lack mapping.
