BJP slams Owaisi’s SIR remarks, alleges plot to defame poll body

Telangana BJP spokesperson NV Subhash on Saturday criticised AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s remarks on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, while also alleging that opposition parties have repeatedly attempted to “defame” the poll body. This comes after Owaisi has claimed that people would be included in the SIR process only if they possess Bharatiya Janata Party membership cards.

Speaking to ANI on Owaisi’s statement on the electoral revision exercise, he questioned the basis of the opposition’s criticism of the electoral exercise. “SIR is an ongoing process….why is he worried about SIR? The BJP and the Modi government have nothing to do with the Election Commission of India (ECI), it’s a constitutional body which was established long before the BJP and the Modi government came in,” Subhash said.

He further alleged that opposition parties have repeatedly attempted to discredit the poll body. “Some of the parties, like Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), always wanted to defame ECI, especially the Congress party,” he added.

He also appealed to the people not to fall into the trap of the Opposition, who wanted to create confusion that the BJP would have the edge over SIR. He added, “The appeal to the people again not to fall into the trap of the Opposition, who wanted to create some kind of confusion that the BJP will have the edge over SIR, but which is not true.”

Owaisi Challenges ‘Exclusionary’ SIR Process

Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi challenged the Election Commission’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise currently underway in Telangana, labelling the existing requirements for verifying voter credentials as overly burdensome and exclusionary.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the Hyderabad MP highlighted significant hurdles facing citizens whose names are missing from the 2002 electoral rolls. Owaisi said that the EC’s requirement to submit one of 12 designated documents is unrealistic, as he contended that four of those documents are either non-existent or irrelevant to the state’s administrative framework.

BJP Alleges Opposition Creating Confusion Over ‘Fake Entries’

Further, referring to the ongoing SIR exercise, Subhash said, “After 24 years, the SIR which has been started in Telangana…It’s a constitutional process that should be acceptable to the people of this country. No one can delete their name from the voter list… Many people have migrated from one part of the country to another.”

The remarks come as the SIR exercise in Telangana is underway, as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conduct door-to-door visits to distribute Enumeration Forms. With the publication of draft rolls scheduled for July 31, the claims and objections period will go on from July 31 to August 30, and the final electoral rolls will be published on October 1.

He also cited media reports regarding alleged multiple voter IDs of actor Prakash Raj, saying, “Yesterday, I saw an article saying actor Prakash Raj reportedly has 4 electoral identity cards in 4 different states… He should be booked, and has already been called by the court, summoned, and a non-bailable arrest warrant has also been issued…”

Subhash questioned the opposition’s intent behind raising concerns over the exercise. “Why is this confusion being created by political parties? Because they know very well that in many places fake entries have been made and fake identity cards have been created… Political parties, as responsible stakeholders, should ensure that people are properly included in the electoral process…”

He further added, “We did not perform well in Keralam and Tamil Nadu, but in other parts of the country, we performed better because we have been working to eliminate such irregularities…” (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)