"People feel there is conspiracy": Rajeev Shukla opposes SIR drive in Bihar

New Delhi [India], July 26 (ANI): Congress MP Rajeev Shukla registered strong opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise being carried out by the Election Commission (EC) in Bihar ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, and alleged a conspiracy to delete votes.
He said that the protest against the voter list revision drive in Bihar will continue as the opposition remains united on the issue.
"It has been five days since we have been protesting against this (SIR) in Parliament. The Election Commission should pay attention to this: the way there is an attempt being made to disrupt the voter list, and the way votes are being manipulated. Why don't you allow (verify) people with Voter ID cards? You made them. People feel there is a conspiracy in this that votes are being cut deliberately," the Congress MP told ANI.
"When the Election Commission is involved in such activities, there is strong opposition. The protest will continue. The opposition is united, and the Election Commission will have to make changes in their attitude," Shukla added.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin alleged that the SIR was being misused to quietly "erase" voters from disadvantaged and dissenting communities, as both houses of Parliament were adjourned until Monday after uproar over the exercise in the poll-bound state of Bihar.
"The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is being misused to quietly erase voters from disadvantaged and dissenting communities, tilting the balance in favour of the BJP. This is not about reform. It is about engineering outcomes. What happened in Bihar says it all: the Delhi regime knows the same electorate that once voted for it will now vote it out. That is why it is trying to stop them from voting altogether. If you cannot defeat us, you seek to delete us. Don't play with fire. Any threat to our democracy will be met with firm resistance," Stalin said in a post on X.
Stalin noted that people represent the democracy and vowed to "fight this injustice with every democratic weapon".
The ongoing SIR of the electoral rolls in Bihar has erupted a massive row in the country, with the opposition INDIA bloc alleging that it will delete a significant chunk of voters.
The first week of the Monsoon Parliament session witnessed repeated disruptions and adjournments. Several opposition parliamentarians submitted adjournment motions and suspension of business notices in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively.
The House will reconvene on July 28.
As per the latest data released by the Election Commission of India on July 25, 99.8 per cent of Bihar electors have been covered so far in the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
Forms of 7.23 crore electors have been received and digitised; the names of all these electors will be included in the Draft Electoral Roll. The digitisation of forms, along with BLO reports, of the remaining electors will also be completed by August 1, 2025, the poll body stated. (ANI)