TMC MP Derek O’Brien (ANI photo)

New Delhi: After a short and stormy meeting with Election Commission on wednesday Trinamool Congress (TMC) called Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar a “thief, criminal” and accused him of “biased attitude”. According to TMC leaders, the “seven-minute” meeting ended abruptly with the CEC ordering their delegation to “disappear”.“Outlining the details of the encounter, TMC leader Derek O’Brien said the party delegation included Rajya Sabha MPs Sagarika Ghosh and Maneka Guruswamy, former MP Saket Gokhale and he.“All like-minded anti-BJP parties will address a press conference at the Constitution Club today around 4:30-4:45 pm,” O’Brien said.

Nine letters, zero response

Rajya Sabha member O’Brien said the delegation presented nine letters written by the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to the Election Commission, none of which were acknowledged or replied to. “We pointed out that if these letters had come from Narendra Modi or Amit Shah, the CEC would have responded immediately,” he said.TMC also presented a list of six officials with alleged links to the BJP in Bengal with photographic evidence. O’Brien said, “We asked for their transfer, including that of the CEO seen with BJP workers in Nandigram. It only took 2-3 minutes to submit this memorandum, and the CEC’s response was simply: ‘Get lost’.”

A delegation became silent

O’Brien also noted that the CEC did not allow any of his fellow officials to speak. “I have been in TMC for 22 years and in Parliament for 16 years and I have met many constitutional authorities, but what I saw today was shameful,” he said, challenging the Election Commission to release audio or video of the meeting to prove otherwise.

contradictory media statements

Right after the meeting, a media update came out claiming, “Elections in West Bengal will be fear-free, violence-free, inducement-free and without any hush-hush, booth jam.” O’Brien questioned who had sent it, insisting, “The CEC is a thief, a criminal. He didn’t say anything about it in the meeting. The only thing he said was ‘Get out.'”Accusing the CEC of trying to play games with the party, the TMC delegation said, “Gyanesh Kumar, you don’t know who you are dealing with. This is Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee and TMC.”O’Brien concluded by inviting all anti-BJP parties to the press conference, promising comments in Hindi, English and Bengali for inclusivity.

EC gave ‘straight talk’ to TMC

Meanwhile, Election Commission sources said the Election Commission chief had a “direct talk” with TMC leaders.He alleged that Derek O’Brien shouted at the election commissioners and asked the CEC not to speak.Election Commission sources said the upcoming elections in West Bengal will be “fear-free, violence-free, intimidation-free and inducement-free.”