Former union finance minister and Congress Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram on Monday said that the type of practice being attempted in Bihar in the name of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ahead of polls in the state cannot be done in states like Tamil Nadu or Kerala.
Speaking on the matter he said, “Whatever alleged to have happened in Bihar and what is denied by the ECI cannot happen in my view either in Tamil Nadu or Kerala and the reason is simple.”
“There are two powerful and very strong alliances in each state and these alliance parties have many hundreds of boots on the ground,” he added.
On addition and deletion of the names from the electoral rolls, he said, “No names can be added to the electoral roll without the knowledge of the cadres. No names can be removed from the electoral roll without the knowledge.”
The senior leader also hit out at the chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing remarks of three former election commissioners at a conclave held by a television channel, where they disapproved of the CEC’s demand that leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi either file an affidavit on his “Vote Theft” allegations or apologize to the country.
“All three categorically said that if a citizen or stakeholder made a substantive complaint, it was the duty of the ECI to order an enquiry into the charges, and not dare the LoP. What has Mr Gyanesh Kumar, CEC, have to say in response to the criticism by the three distinguished gentlemen?” he stated on X earlier.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has become a centre of talking point or criticism for many political parties after it was conducted in Bihar ahead of elections.
During this practice, around 65 lakh names have been removed from the electoral rolls citing either they are not alive or have shifted somewhere else permanently.
