Kolkata, March 10 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday, halted her indefinite anti-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) sit-in protest in West Bengal at Esplanade in Kolkata, which started from the afternoon of February 6.

Announcing the withdrawal of the sit-in protest on Tuesday evening, the Chief Minister said that since the Supreme Court's judgment on the SIR had opened further room for justice, and following the request of the Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee had decided to halt the protest .

"I could have continued with the sit-in demonstration for even 50 days had I wished to. I had been on a continuous hunger strike for 26 days before, on the issue of land acquisition at Singur in Hooghly district. But since the Supreme Court's verdict on the SIR had opened further room for justice, and following the request of Abhishek Banerjee, I have decided to withdraw my sit-in protest. However, our movement on this issue and against the SIR will continue unless the people get full justice," Chief Minister Banerjee noted.

According to the Chief Minister, the next date of hearing in the matter in the apex court is March 25, and there is a possibility that the polling dates for the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal might be announced by March 15.

"But since the ball will be in the Supreme Court then, this episode will not end. Whatever the Supreme Court had observed today had been based on our suggestions," Chief Minister Banerjee claimed.

She also accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of deliberately trying to delay the upcoming elections for West Bengal.

"The Supreme Court has also said that it would consider the West Bengal matter as a special case. The Supreme Court has the power to include the names of voters in the voters' list even a day before the election," the Chief Minister said.

Abhishek Banerjee said that the Supreme Court has criticised the ECI on Tuesday.

"The Calcutta High Court has been directed by the apex court to open an Appellate Tribunal Bench of former judges, so that those whose names are being deleted will have a chance to apply again. This victory is a victory for democracy," he added.

He also said that at the press conference earlier on Tuesday, the CEC deliberately dodged several queries from the journalists.

--IANS

src/khz