Is SIR Acceptable Only If the Current Lok Sabha is Dismantled? Abhishek Banerjee Speaks Out

Kolkata, Aug 12 (NationPress) The General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress and the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Abhishek Banerjee, asserted on Tuesday that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) proposed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) is only acceptable if the existing Parliament is dissolved.

“If I concede that SIR is necessary due to manipulations in the voters’ list, then you must also recognize that the previous Lok Sabha elections were held with that tainted voters’ list. Therefore, the current Parliament ought to be dismantled. Since both the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister were elected based on that altered voters' list, they should resign as well. Additionally, there have been Assembly elections in certain states with a compromised voters' list. Thus, the Assemblies in those states should also be disbanded,” Banerjee stated to reporters outside the Kolkata Airport prior to his departure for Delhi in the afternoon.

He further emphasized that legal proceedings should be initiated against former Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar for overseeing elections conducted with such a manipulated voters' list.

In his remarks, he mentioned that the Delhi Police applied undue force against the Opposition MPs’ peaceful march towards the ECI office on Monday.

“We had straightforward questions. Why is the SIR being enforced? Why hasn’t a digital voters’ list been implemented after all these years? However, the ECI officials refused to respond to these inquiries, leading to our exclusion,” Banerjee remarked.

On the previous day, the ECI issued a fact-check categorically rejecting as “incorrect” the statements made by protesting Opposition leaders concerning alleged 'voter list manipulation'.

Providing insights about discussions held with political entities prior to, during, and following the publication of the draft electoral roll in Bihar, the ECI stated that it maintains the highest level of transparency in this process.

Claiming that accurate electoral rolls fortify democracy, the ECI reissued the formal order for Special Intensive Revision in Bihar and provided links to videos showcasing testimonials from representatives of various political parties, including Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the Left.

The ECI’s fact-check coincided with a day when Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, led a unified protest march of the INDIA bloc parties from Parliament to the ECI’s office at Nirvachan Sadan in Delhi.