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New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) In a sharp political rant over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Friday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee government of protecting illegal voters as vote banks.
Tarun Chugh argued that inclusion of foreign nationals in the voter list is a direct threat to the democratic integrity of India.
“Mamata Banerjee’s government with its cruelty and carelessness is trying to protect illegal voters and use them as vote banks. How can foreign nationals be included in the voter list of India and influence the formation of the government? This is a direct attack on the democratic system and integrity of the country…” Chugh declared.
Responding to CM Banerjee’s allegation that the Center is planning to use the SIR as a cover to implement a National Register of Citizens (NRC)-like exercise, BJP spokesperson Yasir Jilani accused the opposition leaders of opportunistic politics.
Jilani said, “Whether it is Mamata Banerjee, Tejashwi Yadav, or Rahul Gandhi, these leaders think in a very calculated manner. They keep latching onto one issue and continuously exploit it. Now it is Mamata Banerjee’s turn. These leaders have a selfish mindset because their vote bank, especially among the opposition supporters, is highly sensitive…”
Meanwhile, BJP’s Bihar state chief Dilip Jaiswal made his comments pointing towards Bihar’s election response.
“The people of Bihar have clearly shown their stand. The voters of Bihar have fanned the SIR issue like a puncture in a tyre. Despite massive campaigning across Bihar by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, with over one crore voters strongly supporting the Election Commission’s directions, their issue has lost momentum…” Jaiswal commented.
Earlier, CM Banerjee had launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission and the BJP and accused them of “playing with fire” by carrying out politically motivated revision of the voter list. He claimed that the SIR process was being manipulated to eliminate legitimate voters and pave the way for an NRC-style purge.
He also accused ECI officials of working under political influence and exerting pressure on his state officials even before the tenure of his administration and the schedule of Bengal assembly elections were announced.
–IANS
RS/RAD