NEW DELHI, Sept 28: Union Minister J P Nadda on Monday accused the Congress and its allies of continuing to raise concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls despite the Election Commission’s recent clarification on the exercise.
Addressing reporters in New Delhi, Nadda said opposition parties were attempting to create confusion over the electoral roll revision and undermine public confidence in constitutional institutions. His remarks came after the Election Commission issued a statement addressing questions surrounding its decision making process on SIR-related matters.
The BJP leader alleged that the INDIA bloc was looking for new issues to sustain its campaign against the poll panel. He said the opposition’s criticism reflected its dissatisfaction with the country’s progress.
Nadda specifically targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing them of seeking to weaken autonomous and constitutional institutions.
He said opposition leaders should focus on public welfare, national security and other issues concerning citizens instead of questioning the functioning of constitutional bodies.
“Rahul Gandhi ji, listen carefully: repeating a lie a hundred times does not make it the truth,” Nadda said, while defending the Election Commission’s position.
The remarks followed an intense political dispute over the SIR exercise. Opposition parties have raised questions about the functioning of the Election Commission and demanded greater scrutiny of the revision process. The controversy intensified after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several occasions over SIR-related decisions.
The Election Commission subsequently maintained that differing views and observations among its members were part of its institutional decision-making process. It also announced several measures concerning the SIR process, including home visits by Booth Level Officers for certain voters and changes relating to voter registration procedures and its digital systems.
Nadda said the latest developments had addressed the allegations raised against the poll panel and accused opposition parties of continuing their campaign despite the clarification.
The dispute over SIR remains a significant political issue, with the ruling BJP and opposition parties offering sharply different interpretations of the Election Commission’s functioning and the electoral roll revision process.
Nadda maintained that voters had understood what he described as the opposition’s political strategy and asserted that attempts to create instability would not succeed.