Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday defended the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in poll-bound Bihar, stating that no injustice would be done to any Indian citizen but infiltrators would not be allowed to misuse voting rights.
Speaking to reporters in Patna, Paswan said, “No injustice will be done to any citizen of the country, but if someone is an infiltrator in the country, they will not be allowed to misuse the greatest right, the right to vote.”
He further clarified that the process is not new and has been carried out before. “This process is not happening for the first time in the country; it has happened four times before, and this time it is being conducted in the same manner as it was done the previous four times,” Paswan said.
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has sparked a massive row, with the opposition INDIA bloc alleging that the exercise aims to delete a significant chunk of voters in Bihar ahead of elections.
On Friday, several opposition parliamentarians in the Rajya Sabha moved Suspension of Business notices, demanding a discussion on the SIR during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament. Proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned amid loud protests and sloganeering by Opposition MPs. The Parliament has seen repeated disruptions for four days since the session began on 21 July.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Shatrughan Sinha hit out at the revision exercise, accusing the ruling BJP of attempting to repeat alleged “vote looting” seen in Maharashtra.
Speaking to the news agency, Sinha said, “Why was SIR brought? The vote looting happening in Maharashtra is being repeated in Bihar as they know they are losing. Their partner in this is the Election Commission officers…”
TMC MP Mahua Moitra also launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India, alleging it is acting like a wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“Such a thing has never happened in the history of India. The Election Commission, which is a constitutional body, is working as a branch of the BJP. CEC speaks like a spokesperson of the BJP… In 24 hours, the number of untraceable voters has gone from over 11,000 to more than 1 lakh… If the Home Ministry is trying to say that there are 56 lakh illegal voters in Bihar, where did they come from?” Moitra asked.
Follow us
