Union Minister Chirag Paswan has come forward to support the revision of Bihar's voter list underway, claiming that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process is aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process without harming any genuine citizen.
Talking to reporters in Patna, Paswan promised that no Indian citizen would be unjustly denied the right to vote, while emphasizing that non-citizens cannot be permitted to take advantage of voting rights.
No wrong will be done to anybody of this nation, but if anybody is an intruder, they will not be given permission to exploit the greatest right, the right to vote," he said.
Panning the Opposition for what he termed "double standards," Paswan asked how parties that had themselves raised objections to voter list irregularities in the past could now complain about a clean-up process they had themselves requested. He also noted that the SIR was not a new exercise, having been conducted four times before, and asserted that the ongoing exercise was following the same route as previously.
Referring to past complaints, Paswan reminded the Opposition of their reaction to the Maharashtra elections. “You said voters' names were added overnight in Maharashtra and blamed that for your loss. Now, when the Election Commission is addressing these issues through a review, you’re questioning that too,” he remarked.
Paswan, also leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas), was perplexed at the Opposition's changing stance. "It is beyond my comprehension — you protest when there is a problem and question the solution as well," he said, condemning them for contradicting their previous stand on having a more precise and credible electoral roll.
Assuring the general public, Paswan reaffirmed that ineligible names only would be struck off from the list. "A rightful person, a citizen of the nation, will not be subjected to any injustice. But an infiltrator will not be given any illegitimate rights," he further added.
The Election Commission initiated the revision of voter rolls after a gap of 22 years with an objective to detect and remove duplicate, deceased, or ineligible voters. But the move has been opposed vehemently by the Opposition, who charge it is a politically motivated exercise by the BJP to dis-enfranchise sections of the population traditionally supporting them, particularly minorities and marginalized communities.
Opposition legislators have been vocally protesting the revision process both in the Bihar Assembly and at the national level. Demonstrations have resulted in repeated disruptions to parliamentary business since the session opened on July 21, with repeated adjournments indicating the charged political environment.
Read also| Rajya Sabha Adjourned Until Monday as Opposition Protest Stalls Proceedings
