Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bengal is “only aimed at deleting voters’ name.” Speaking at the Lok Sabha on a discussion on Election Reforms in the country, the MP from Hooghly district’s Sreerampur constituency, Banerjee asked how can voters who elected the current government in the state and center be questioned about their authenticity in the running exercise.
“An elector whose name was in the 2024 voter list can not be deemed a voter now just because his / her name is not in the 2002 list? This process is arbitrary,” he said criticizing the delimitation approach applied in the SIR process by the Election Commission (EC).
Banerjee asked, “If my brother is not my relative, my wife is not my relative and let us assume that my parents died in 2002 then I will not be a valid voter anymore?” further accusing the union government of conducting the SIR exercise with the “purpose of deleting voters.”
“The object of SIR is inclusion but here the object is defeated…What is the point of an election if you delete voters? Is it not contrary to the law,” the TMC MP said emphasizing the provisions of the law under the Constitution of India.
Banerjee called out the EC’s ‘arbitrary’ implementation of SIR exercise noting the duties of the constitutional body. “The Election Commission is not the authority to decide the citizenship of any citizen. Article 324 of the Constitution of India has given the power to the Election Commission for the superintendence, direction and the control of election to be vested in Election Commission, including the electoral roll. Article 327 of the Constitution, empowers the parliament to enact law for the purpose of the election,’ he asserted adding, “The EC is always saying that it has the superintending power so it can do anything. But respectfully, the power of superintendence cannot overwrite the power enacted by the Parliament.”
The third term MP also highlighted the strenuous situation of the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) under the ongoing SIR process. He mentioned the increasing number of BLO deaths stressing on the staggering suicide incidents that were reported from outside Bengal, especially the states ruled by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).
“After the commencement of SIR inhuman work pressure were given to the BLOs as a result 20 people have committed suicide and such notes are there, 5 people became seriously ill, 19 others expired and another 3 attempted suicide. Will the Election Commission be responsible for this? It has been pointed out that because of the pressure these people are committing suicide,” he pointed out.
Citing figures from the BJP-ruled states, the TMC MP said, “This is not the lone picture in Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh, 10 people lost their lives – it is a BJP state. In Madhya Pradesh, 9 BLOs lost their lives- again a BJP state. In Rajasthan too, 3 BLOs lost their lives. Has a BJP MP ever visited them? Not even their CM. Further, in Kerala run by the CPM and Tamil Nadu run by the DMK, have also reported BLO deaths.”
