Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has appointed Manoj Aggarwal, the election officer who conducted the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in the state, as the new Chief Secretary. Retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta, who served as an observer during SIR, has been appointed as the Chief Minister’s advisor. Both appointments have drawn sharp criticism from Congress and TMC, who have questioned the fairness of the recently concluded assembly elections.
Congress Calls It Open Collusion Between ECI and BJP
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on social media platform X, saying both appointments reflect open collusion and connivance between the Election Commission of India and BJP. He alleged that the ECI did not act impartially and worked entirely to benefit BJP, and pointed out that 27 lakh people were prevented from voting during the SIR process.
TMC Leaders Slam the Appointments
TMC leader Saket Gokhale described the appointments as shameless, posting on X that BJP and the ECI are openly coming together in what he called election theft, and also raised questions about the role of the courts. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien called it a coincidence with a sarcastic tone, while TMC MP Sagarika Ghose wrote that the so-called neutral umpire has now been rewarded with the top bureaucratic post in Bengal’s BJP government, questioning whether anyone can seriously believe the Bengal elections were free and fair.
