West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh has launched a sharp political critique against opposition parties, notably Congress, for questioning the credibility of the Election Commission of India. Speaking to reporters in Kolkata on September 30, Ghosh characterized the recurring complaints against constitutional bodies as a direct reaction to repeated electoral losses rather than any legitimate administrative grievance.
Double Standards on Electoral Legitimacy
Dismissing the ongoing agitation against the poll watchdog, Ghosh pointed out that Congress held power at the Centre for ten years under the stewardship of this very same election authority. He underscored that the constitutional machinery overseeing democratic exercises has remained consistent, delivering victories to Congress in the past as well as in the states where it currently governs. According to him, the sudden questioning of electoral fairness only arises when a losing streak sets in. He remarked that when the leadership itself faces defeat at the ballots, expecting the wider organization to secure public confidence is completely unrealistic.
Formal Redressal Over Public Drama
Addressing disputes surrounding Electronic Voting Machines, paper audit trails, and electoral rolls, Ghosh observed that statutory mechanisms already exist within the commission to adjudicate such matters. He asked why political adversaries abstain from presenting verifiable grievances before the designated constitutional forum if they genuinely suspect discrepancies in EVMs. Ghosh stated, "Yeh sirf janta ko gumrah karne ke liye hai." He added that citizens have recognized the opposition's tendency to stage public spectacles while lacking substantive governance to show, reiterating that voters consistently stand behind tangible developmental work.
Voter Roll Scrutiny and Opposition Delhi Visits
Defending the SIR verification drive, Ghosh maintained that the entire exercise is designed to segregate fabricated voter entries from genuine rolls. Individuals lacking citizenship proof or requisite documentation cannot be retained, making political lamentation over their removal entirely unjustified. Touching upon the visit of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and AITMC MP Abhishek Banerjee to the national capital for the INDIA bloc gathering, Ghosh downplayed the event as inconsequential political travel that generates media headlines without yielding any meaningful outcome on the ground.
