Letter by former BJP West Bengal President, Shri Tathagata Roy to CEC

Dated Kolkata April 23, 2011

The Chief Election Commissioner
Election Commission of India
Nirvachan Sadan, Ashok Road
New Delhi


Sub : Complaint of obstructive and partisan behaviour on the part of Election officials in West Bengal


Dear Sir
I, on behalf of BJP West Bengal, have to bring to your kind notice certain instances of obstructive and partisan behaviour on the part of election officials in West Bengal. Right now, as you may be aware, our all-India leaders are touring the state in connection with electioneering and travelling mostly by Helicopter. Now, taking a Helicopter to a given location requires an elaborate preparation. First, a permission has to be sought from the local police for holding the meeting. Also, a permission from the owner of the plot where the Helipad is to be made has to be got in writing (for private plots) and from the Land Reforms Officer (for government land). Then a permission is to be sought from the SDO, and finally from the District Magistrate. While securing the DM's permission the Latitude and Longitude of the Helipad are also got from the DM's office.
In view of all the preparation necessary, our party workers are applying well in time to the police station and to other officials. It now appears that these officials are deliberately delaying this permission and/or furnishing wrong coordinates. They are also otherwise adopting all kinds of obstructionist tactics and misbehaving with our party workers, including speaking disparagingly about our All-India leaders. As a result the meetings are being delayed, and people are going away, creating a bad impression in respect of the party. In two cases of meetings, one of Shri Nitin Gadkari, our National President, and one of Shri Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha, have had to be cancelled. The resulting embarrassment, not to speak of expenses, can only be imagined.
In particular two officials, namely Shri Randhir Kumar, Additional District Magistrate, District North 24-Parganas and Shri Rezzak Mollah, Inspector-in-Charge, Uluberia P.S., District Howrah, have been found to be exceedingly intransigent and obstructive. Our State President Shri Rahul Sinha has personally  complained against them to Shri Sunil Gupta, Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal. Shri Gupta gave him a hearing, but said that he will take action only after an enquiry. A copy of the complaint made to the CEO is enclosed.
Now, we find this quite unsatisfactory, particularly in view of the fact that the complaint against Shri Rezzak Mollah was made on 18th April. IN PROTEST THE STATE PRESIDENT SHRI RAHUL SINHA HAS STARTED A FAST UNTO DEATH AT THE CEO'S OFFICE.
We request you to intervene in the matter immediately and to ensure that the guilty officers are brought to book. In case any enquiry is still considered necessary against them, we demand that they be sent on leave till the matter of action against them is settled. We also demand an assurance from the CEO that the BJP will be able to carry out its electioneering properly and the officials will not act in a partisan manner.


Yours sincerely,
Shri Tathagata Roy
Former BJP West Bengal President