Would have removed SEC if I had power: WB minister

West Bengal minister Madan Mitra on Friday claimed that if he had the power he would have removed the state election commissioner and alleged that it was conspiring with opposition parties in the panchayat polls.

"If I had any power, I could have removed the state election commissioner. But unfortunately I have no such power. The SEC seems more concerned about how to make the Communist Party of India-Marxist and Congress winners," Mitra, the transport minister, told reporters.

"It took us time to realise the game-plan about how the SEC is involved in a conspiracy taking advantage of loopholes in the law," Mitra said.

Referring to the controversial remarks by party Member of Parliament Tapas Pal and Birbhum district President Anubrata Mondal, he said "the panchayat elections claimed many lives earlier, but the SEC hardly thinks about it, but it is more serious about holding press conference about what Anubrata Mondal and Tapas Pal said."

"It is because of the SEC there is no progress in work in government offices for the last couple of months. Not a single file is moving from one table to another," he said.

Speaking on requisition of bus and other vehicles for the election, Mitra alleged "If the district administration needs 20 buses, the SEC is directing them to requisition 50 buses. This results in inconvenience to large number of people in the state."

The minister also alleged that the SEC spent over Rs one crore for the case on confrontation with the state government, while the state government hardly spent Rs 10,000. Mitra also warned CPI-M leader Gautam Deb saying "Wait till the poll results. Where will you stay after that? In Taki or across the border in Bangladesh?"