General elections 2014: Mamata Banerjee relents; agrees to EC directive on transfer of officers

KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has agreed to comply with the Election Commission (EC)'s order regarding transfer of IAS and IPS officers. "All the officers whom the EC have appointed, will take charge of their new positions tomorrow," the chief minister told reporters at Durgapur late on Tuesday evening. She was returning to Kolkata from Bankura after addressing an election rally there.

Earlier, West Bengal chief secretary Sanjoy Mitra, in a note to the chief minister, had suggested that it would be wise for the government to go by the EC's order.

Talking to reporters in Durgapur, the chief minister said the EC was playing a political game. "The EC is conducting the elections and they are all in all in this regard. I am accepting their decision to transfer the officers and all of them will join their new positions on Wednesday. But I must say that some of these officers whom the EC has transferred, have done best jobs. For example, I want to mention the name of Sanjoy Bansal, the district magistrate of North 24-Parganas who had carried out best job in regard to implementation of 100 days work," the chief minister said.

She also praised Bharati Ghosh, superintendent of Jhargram police whom the EC has transferred. "Bharati is a very efficient officer. She had to risk her life to combat the Maoists in Jangalmahal. But I am telling you that all these officers would be back to their original postings immediately after the elections," Mamata said.

She also came down heavily on the EC and described it as "super god" and said that the poll panel body was involved in a political game planned by the Congress, CPIM and BJP.

"EC's decision will practically help me because all these officers whom the poll panel has transferred are my officers and I will bring them back to their old positions after the polls," she said.

Mamata also came down heavily on her oppositions and said that "those who have plotted this conspiracy, will get a befitting reply from the people during the elections. All these forces are conniving against me jointly and people of our state will reject them in this polls," she mentioned.