Patna, July 12 Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha launched a sharp attack on Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday, over his remarks on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar.
The Opposition has been raising concerns over the process in which 78 million voters would have to establish they are genuine citizens in a matter of weeks.
According to the Congress, in a state like Bihar where poverty and low educational levels result in poor awareness on documentation, nearly 30 million voters would have to provide 11 documents, rather than the commonly available ration cards, Aadhaar cards or voter IDs to prove their citizenship.
Speaking to reporters in Patna, Sinha said: “Rahul Gandhi is misleading the people. A normal person cannot question the Election Commission of India, especially after the Supreme Court has clearly stated it will not put a question mark on a constitutional body.”
Sinha accused LoP Gandhi of insulting constitutional institutions, demanding that he resign from his constitutional post and apologise to the nation.
“A sensible person cannot question a constitutional institution. Appu (Tejashwi Yadav) and Pappu (Rahul Gandhi) have taken the contract to mislead the people and insult the Constitution by spreading lies about constitutional bodies,” Sinha claimed.
The remarks come amid continuing political tension over the ongoing SIR of the voter list in Bihar.
LoP Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav have raised concerns that many poor voters in Bihar may lose voting rights as they lack documents like birth certificates to prove their eligibility, questioning why the Election Commission has not accepted documents like Aadhar cards, Ration cards, Voter ID cards, and MNREGA job cards for the revision process.
During a Supreme Court hearing on June 10, the apex court suggested that the Election Commission should consider documents like Aadhaar cards, Voter ID cards, and Ration cards during the voter list revision.
The voter list revision has emerged as a significant flashpoint in Bihar’s pre-election politics, with the Opposition questioning transparency and inclusivity, while the ruling NDA is defending the Election Commission’s processes.
The Election Commission has reported that over 74 per cent of enumeration forms have already been collected across Bihar, with door-to-door verification underway.
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