Mayawati attacks BJP, SP over communal violence

August 24, 2014

New Delhi, Aug 24: BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday accused BJP and SP of being "hand in glove" in fanning communal violence in Uttar Pradesh to further their political interests and said communal forces were becoming strong across the country.

She said while the situation in UP was "bad" under the rule of the Samajwadi Party, things have "worsened" after the BJP-led NDA took power at the Centre.

"We see that communal forces are gaining strength in the country. Several states have witnessed communal riots. Uttar Pradesh holds the number one spot. Samajwadi Party and BJP are hand in glove behind the communal violence in Uttar Pradesh. Peace had ended in the state the day SP came to power. But the moment BJP came to power at the Centre, the situation has worsened there," she told reporters

The BSP chief alleged that both SP and BJP were deliberately creating communal tension in UP for political gains.

She said that state governments as well as the Centre should take effective steps to check spread of communal tension in the country.

Responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden Independence Day speech, she said it sounded more like an "election speech" aimed at the four states going to assembly polls.

"The Prime Minister said he is the pradhan sewak. He did not sound like a pradhan sewak. But it sounded like an election speech aimed at Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana," she said.

The former UP chief minister said though BJP has recently come to power, she has seen little being done usher in "aache din".

Responding to a report submitted to the Samajwadi Party by senior UP minister Shivpal Singh Yadav on Saharanpur riots, she said the "actual facts" are buried and the report has little meaning.

"BJP and SP are hand in glove. The report has not put forth the actual facts. It has little meaning. We do not accept the report," she said.

To a question on senior UP minister Mohd Azam Khan attacking is own government on law and order, she said it has no meaning as situation in UP has been bad from the day SP government took over.

"He is only attacking is government now. Perhaps he is being ignored by his party. This is perhaps the reason," she said.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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