TMC’s Derek O’Brien says we will move fresh motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar; accuses BJP of hatching ‘conspiracy’ in Bengal

New Delhi: Opposition parties will move a fresh motion to impeach Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Congressman and spokesman Derek O’Brien said Monday.“Nineteen political parties and about 300 members of parliament earlier filed an impeachment notice against the Central Election Commission. Fresh notices of impeachment and additional charges will be filed in the coming days,” O’Brien told reporters at a press conference in Kolkata.Earlier this month, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan both rejected opposition notices calling for the removal of Kumar, who has been repeatedly accused of supporting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.The preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal (where the TMC has been in power since 2011 and will seek a fourth consecutive term) are particularly intense, with tensions arising around issues such as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls and the removal of IAS and IPS officers in the state by the Election Commission (EC). As the Model Code of Conduct is currently in force, the European Commission is currently monitoring national institutions.The motion moved earlier to remove Kumar was the first of its kind against the current Central Executive Committee.152 of West Bengal’s 294 assembly seats will go to polls on Thursday, while the remaining 142 constituencies will go to polls on April 29. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

“BJP hatches bigger conspiracy ahead of second phase polls”

At the same time, O’Brien further claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling party at center and the main opposition party in the state, was hatching a “bigger conspiracy” ahead of the second phase.“We have reliable sources that the home minister has held a meeting with the CBI, ED and NIA chiefs. In the next 100 to 150 hours, some serious or shady action has been planned ahead of the second phase of voting,” he claimed.The Lok Sabha member added that such developments are likely to happen in southern Bengal.O’Brien also said Union Home Minister Amit Shah was behaving like a “full-time BJP worker”. Shah, the BJP’s chief strategist and former party president, had earlier said that he would stay in the state for 15 days.The TMC MP also accused the BJP of deploying “disproportionate force” to defeat Chief Minister and party leader Mamata Banerjee.“To defeat a woman, you need 18 cabinet ministers, the prime minister, the home minister, the defense minister, several chief ministers, central agencies and thousands of security personnel,” he said.