On Wednesday, Derek O’Brien, the Parliamentary Leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the Rajya Sabha, accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of telling him to “get lost” during a meeting with a TMC delegation at the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In response, sources within the ECI asserted that O’Brien had raised his voice during the meeting, instructing the Chief Election Commissioner not to speak.
The comments from O’Brien followed a meeting between the TMC delegation—which included O’Brien and Rajya Sabha members Sagarika Ghose, Menaka Guruswamy, and Saket Gokhale—and the election commissioners at the ECI office in New Delhi. O’Brien stated, “What the CEC told us within seven minutes of the meeting was ‘get lost’. This is what the CEC communicated to the TMC delegation. We are the second largest opposition party.”
O’Brien further challenged the ECI to make public any video or audio recordings of the meeting. He mentioned that he presented examples of six officials stationed in West Bengal, who are reportedly connected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and involved in the election process. “It took two to three minutes to provide examples and submit our memorandum. Then, he told us to leave,” O’Brien added.
Following the meeting, the ECI posted on their X account, stating, “ECI’s Straight-talk to Trinamool Congress… This time, the elections in West Bengal will be: fear-free, violence-free, intimidation-free, inducement-free, and free from any raids or booth jamming.”
In reply to the ECI’s statement, TMC MP Saket Gokhale, who was present during the meeting, refuted the claims, asserting, “This is a lie. I was personally present at the meeting. Nothing like this was said. All that CEC Gyanesh Kumar said to us was ‘GET LOST’. We challenge the ECI to release a transcript of the meeting. If they do not, we will.”
Since the implementation of the Single Election Regulation (SIR) in West Bengal, tensions have escalated between the ECI and the TMC, with prominent leaders like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee frequently leading delegations to the ECI.
Most of these meetings have been contentious, characterized by mutual accusations between the TMC and the ECI.
Asad Rehman is a member of the national bureau at The Indian Express, focusing on political and policy issues related to religious minorities in India. With over eight years of journalism experience, Rehman previously reported on Uttar Pradesh for five years, covering a range of topics, including politics, crime, health, and human rights. He has conducted extensive ground reporting, including coverage of protests against the new citizenship law during which numerous fatalities occurred. Additionally, during the Covid pandemic, he reported on the migration of workers from urban centers back to rural areas in Uttar Pradesh. His portfolio includes significant litigations such as the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute.
Before joining the national bureau, he spent three years on the national desk at The Indian Express as a copy editor. Rehman is an alumnus of La Martiniere, Lucknow, and earned his bachelor’s degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University, followed by a Master’s degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia.
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