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(From left to right) Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan. (Source: File)
A day after the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that the EC should desist from the decision, which affects the very credibility of the body. Vijayan said that “institutions like the Election Commission should not be allowed to become puppets of the party ruling the Centre”.
Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin on the other hand accused the BJP of plotting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters through the SIR exercise while calling an all-party meet on November 2.
Vijayan said the decision is a challenge to the democratic process and the ECI’s stand on SIR in Kerala even after the state Chief Electoral Officer had sought its postponement raises suspicion on the poll body.
He said that when petitions questioning the constitutional validity of SIR in Bihar are pending before the Supreme Court, the move to roll out the same process to other states cannot be seen as innocent. “It is clear that the revision of the voter list, which requires long-term preparation and consultation, is being carried out in a hasty manner only to subvert the will of the people. The Commission should desist from such decisions that affect its own credibility. Institutions like the EC should not be allowed to become puppets of the party ruling at the Centre,” he said.
Last month, Kerala chief electoral officer had urged the ECI to postpone the SIR process citing the local body elections, after meeting representatives of political parties.
Besides, the state legislative assembly had passed a unanimous resolution against SIR last month. The resolution said the Election Commission’s move has raised serious concerns that the SIR is aimed at implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) indirectly.
Meanwhile, addressing party workers at the ‘My Polling Booth — Victory Booth’ training programme in Mamallapuram, Stalin alleged that the BJP and the AIADMK were attempting to “win by deletion”, targeting voters among the working class, SCs, minorities, and women. “They lack the courage to face the people. Their calculation is to remove the voting rights of those who stand with us. But Tamil Nadu will not allow it,” he said, charging that the EC had already deprived 65 lakh voters of their rights in Bihar under the same process.
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Calling the upcoming election a fight to “protect Tamil Nadu’s self-respect and individuality,” Stalin warned that the state was facing an “invasion” of its social, cultural, and economic fabric. “They trouble us in the name of Hindi, Sanskrit, GST, and the Governor. Only we have the strength to defeat them. The RSS designs will not work in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik has called a meeting of recognised political parties in Chennai on Wednesday to discuss the SIR process.
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