Don’t know whom Oppn wants to protect: Milind Deora after CM Banerjee urges CEC to halt SIR

Mumbai, Nov 21 After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar urging him to halt the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state citing “inhuman” work pressure on Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora on Friday questioned why some Opposition leaders were opposing the SIR process and “whom they want to give protection to, and from which country.”

Speaking to IANS, Milind Deora said, “I want to make one thing clear, today, we can proudly say that the Indian electoral process is the strongest and most robust democratic system in the world.”

“India is the largest democracy. In every general election, around 65 crore people vote. The Election Commission has been entrusted with the responsibility of cleaning electoral rolls and removing bogus voters. I do not understand why some people, especially from the Opposition, are against this process and whom they want to protect, and from which country.

"I want to seek an answer from the Opposition leaders through your platform. When they win, they praise the ECI. But when they lose, they criticise it. How does this work? They seem to have no faith in the ECI, in India, or in Indian institutions. This is wrong. We should all strengthen democracy and set an example that India has the strongest democratic system,” he told IANS.

Earlier on Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said she was compelled to write to the CEC because the situation surrounding the ongoing SIR had reached a “deeply alarming” stage.

“The manner in which this exercise is being forced upon officials and citizens is not only unplanned and chaotic, but also dangerous,” CM Banerjee wrote.

She stated that the absence of basic preparedness, adequate planning, and clear communication had crippled the process from the very beginning.

The Chief Minister urged the CEC to immediately put the SIR exercise on hold to avoid “more drastic consequences” in the future.

“I request you to intervene decisively to halt the ongoing exercise, stop coercive measures, provide proper training and support, and thoroughly reassess the present methodology and timelines,” CM Banerjee wrote.

CM Banerjee warned that if the process was not corrected without delay, the consequences for the system, the officials, and the citizens would be “irreversible.”

“This intervention is not only necessary, but imperative to protect the integrity of the electoral process and our democratic framework,” CM Banerjee's letter stated.

She added that gaps in training, unclear documentation requirements, and the difficulty of meeting voters amid their work schedules had made the entire process structurally unsound.

CM Banerjee further said that although she deeply appreciated the strenuous efforts of BLOs under extreme pressure and heavy workload, it was undeniable that they were not given adequate training, support, or time to carry out an exercise of such magnitude.

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