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Coimbatore, Nov 11 (IANS) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday questioned the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for opposing the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list and asked why the party never raised concerns when the revision was not done for almost two decades.
Speaking to reporters at Muthalipalayam in Coimbatore after attending a series of public events, Sitharaman said the SIR is a constitutional process mandated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) under Articles 324 and 329.
He said, “It is surprising that DMK is protesting all over Tamil Nadu as if BJP has suddenly introduced SIR. This is a regular and necessary exercise conducted many times since 1952.”
Claiming that the voter list revisions were done in 1952-56, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1983-84, 1987-89, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003 and 2005, Sitharaman pointed out that the DMK had earlier done many of them during the Congress alliance. Was part of. Practiced and never objected.
He commented, “Why are they protesting now? Even Chief Minister MK Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin are unaware of what SIR actually means.” The Finance Minister accused the ruling party of misleading the public and undermining the credibility of constitutional institutions.
“The role of the Election Commission is to ensure a fair and accurate voter list. The DMK’s protest appears to be an attempt to hide its administrative failures,” he said.
Highlighting the irregularities uncovered during the ongoing vetting, Sitharaman said that in Kolathur constituency alone, which Stalin represents, 4,379 fake voters were identified, including 933 with wrong addresses, many having multiple voter ID cards, and even 30 cards under the same address. A total of 5,964 fake entries were found during verification.
“Across the state, names of seven lakh people are at two places, 20 lakh are fake voters, and 35 lakh have migrated. Is it wrong to delete such 68 lakh names?” he asked.
Rejecting the allegation that SIR is a conspiracy, Sitharaman said, “No one opposed it during the Congress-DMK years. The DMK is now protesting only to politicize a legitimate exercise.” He also confirmed that the Income Tax Department’s action was based on evidence, adding, “Not a single case has been proven false so far.”
Reiterating that the BJP does not interfere in the internal affairs of any party, Sitharaman urged the DMK to “not weaken the authority of the Election Commission” and allow the democratic process to function freely.
–IANS
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