New Delhi:
Defending the Election Commission of India in the midst of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday launched a sharp attack on the opposition leaders saying that they were questioning the process and had a poor understanding of people about the constitutional provisions.
Addressing a press conference outside Parliament, Singh said that the election commission (EC) was discharging its duties as per the law and it was not a fair game to be attacked politically. I believe that the people who pose such questions are supposed to possess some knowledge of the Constitution. It is just what the Constitution requires the Election Commission to do,” he said.
The Special Intensive Revision is an exercise that is carried out regularly and which is backed by the Constitution in order to update and prove the list of voters who in turn should be accurate. But the timing and the reason underlying the exercise have been questioned by the opposition parties who allege that the exercise is likely to cause certain communities to be suppressed in terms of voting.
Rebutting such claims, Singh remarked, “Our duty is that the Election Commission is doing its job and I do not see where it should be an uncomfortable scenario. There are other individuals who are also concerned about the foreign nationals than the Indian voters”.
He further stated that questioning a constitutionally empowered body without any evidence or legal basis weakens democratic institutions. “Those objecting to the SIR process are either unaware of the Constitution or are deliberately misleading the public for political gain,” the Minister added.
The Election Commission has held that the SIR process in Bihar is going on in a transparent manner and within laid down guidelines. Authorities have explained that the updated list is part of routine electoral work before 2025 Assembly election in Bihar, and it involves deleting ineligible people and adding new ones who are eligible to vote.
Although the EC has not yet reacted directly to what was said by Singh, it has been indicated by some who are within the Commission that what Singh had said was not true as political parties had been told well in time about the process of revision and were being given a chance to be part of the process at the booth level.
Critics of these leaders have, however, accused them of a selective amendment that may be used to exclude some sections of people to deny them their vote. Some parties are even wondering why such a drastic overhaul should be done during an electoral cycle that should not go out of trend, implying that it could be political.
Singh dismissed such suggestions, saying, “It is unfortunate that constitutional processes are being politicised. We should be more concerned about ensuring that every genuine Indian voter is included in the electoral rolls rather than casting suspicion on the process itself.”
As the political row over the Bihar SIR continues, the Election Commission is expected to release a detailed update on the progress of the revision later this week. The final list is likely to be published after the conclusion of the verification process, which involves door-to-door checks and document verification.
The issue is likely to see further debate in Parliament as the monsoon session progresses, with opposition parties expected to press for more transparency and safeguards in the ongoing revision process.
