KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday evening announced that she would end her five-day dharna in Kolkata after Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee urged her to withdraw the protest following developments in the Supreme Court of India regarding voter-related grievances.
The sit-in protest was launched earlier this month against alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls in the state. Banerjee had accused the Election Commission of India and the Central Government of deleting genuine voters’ names during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Speaking from the protest site, Banerjee said the agitation had served its purpose and that the latest legal developments had opened a path for affected voters to seek justice.
“We have been on the streets for five days. A lot of justice has been done. Abhishek has taken everyone’s opinion and proposed that we lift the dharna. On his proposal, we are withdrawing the protest today,” she said while addressing supporters at Esplanade.
Earlier in the day, Abhishek Banerjee appealed to the Chief Minister to call off the agitation, noting that the Supreme Court had taken cognizance of the concerns raised over voter list issues.
“The country’s highest court has accepted the demand you are protesting for. You must remain healthy for the 10 crore people of Bengal. Our fight will continue till April 30,” he said, urging her to end the protest.