New Delhi: The Election Commission's SIR exercise is a "Method Of Disenfranchising Indians" and has turned into a "Frankenstein monster", the Congress said on Monday amid outrage over 33.13 lakh notices being issued in the national capital over "discrepancies" in details in enumeration forms.
Most notices were issued for voter details not matching with the information in the last Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in 2002.
While Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge put out a lengthy statement on X, terming the SIR flawed, party general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also spoke out.
Responding to a critical post over the name of late economist Bibek Debroy appearing in the list of voters being issued notices for discrepancies, Ramesh said, "Actually at work here is a Method Of Disenfranchising Indians."
Ramesh posted the words "Method Of Disenfranchising Indians" vertically so the the first capital letter of every word together read -- "MODI".
In another post, he pointed out that the chief electoral officer, Delhi has issued a press release on notices being sent to VIP electors and prominent individuals during the ongoing SIR.
However, the issue is not about influential persons who will find a way to have their names included, but the vast majority who will struggle to do so, the Congress leader said.
He said 5.43 crore Indians across 14 states and UTs have received such notices demanding additional documentation to prove their citizenship.
There is abundant evidence that deletions affect the most socially and economically marginalised groups, including slum dwellers, the poor and women, Ramesh said.
During the enumeration phase, names of over 6 crore voters were removed, he claimed.
The ECI must explain why after this, now an additional 5.4 crore voters are at risk of deletion, Ramesh asked.
"In Delhi, 54% of voters have either been deleted or face risk of deletion. This is an absurdly high share that calls the whole voter roll into question. Other BJP states have still not released the list of voters at risk of deletion. This is an appalling lack of transparency and every state must release the list immediately," the Congress leader said.
"The CEO claims 'there is no existential crisis'," Ramesh said and added that unless voters provide adequate documentation to the satisfaction of the BLO/ERO, they can be struck off the final roll.
So they remain at risk of deletion, he added.
"Very serious concerns have been raised about the SIR process. The ECI must address these concerns about a process that has become a Method Of Disenfranchising Indians," Ramesh said.
In his detailed statement on X, Kharge said, "The SIR is not just a tool used by the BJP for vote theft and dismantling democracy—it’s a flawed process that has turned into a Frankenstein Monster, now trapping its own people!!"
What started as the SIR from Bihar has now knocked on Delhi's door, and perhaps now the powers-that-be realise why the Congress has been calling the entire process flawed from day one, Kharge said in his post in Hindi.
"Several prominent BJP leaders, including the BJP's most senior figure, Lal Krishna Advani ji, the current Foreign Minister, Delhi's Lieutenant Governor (LG), Rajya Sabha MP, former Union Minister, former Chief Minister, and others have now been served notices...," Kharge said.
"In Bengal, among those whose names were deleted to prevent them from voting, 93 per cent of the decided cases so far have won their appeals, meaning 1,13,943 people will be reinstated in the voter list!" he said.
On what basis was their voting right stripped, the Congress chief went on to ask.
"On top of that, the Election Commission issued an official press release describing 'VIP/marked electors'. Is there now some Special Category of voters in India's Universal Adult Franchise -- VIP voters and ordinary voters? Isn't this a violation of the constitutional principle of 'One Person, One Vote, One Value'?" Kharge said.
Has the VIP vote become more valuable now, he asked.
In the first three phases of SIR, 13.8 crore voters were struck off the rolls in 31 states/Union territories, meaning about 14.61 per cent of the total 94.78 crore voters, he said.
"Who sits with hands folded, at whose behest? Press Release for VIPs, Silence for crores of ordinary voters!" Kharge said, in an apparent swipe at the Election Commission.
The Congress leaders' remarks come a day after the party flagged the issue of large-scale deletions during the ongoing SIR exercise and alleged that it is actually a massive "Shah Instigated Removal" of voters and an "assault on the Constitution".
The opposition party said there is abundant evidence to prove that large-scale deletions across states are overwhelmingly those of voters belonging to the most economically and socially disadvantaged and deprived sections of the society.
Opposition parties have dubbed the SIR a ploy to target electors not aligned to the BJP and its allies.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the revision, being held after 22 years, will cleanse the voters' list of ineligible people, duplicate entries and include those eligible as per law to vote.
