New Delhi, Dec 16 In a passionate defence of India's electoral integrity, Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha and Union Minister J.P. Nadda asserted that purifying voter lists is the Election Commission's core constitutional mandate, ensuring only citizens vote while no eligible voter is excluded.
Speaking during the ongoing debate on electoral reforms, Nadda reminded the House that citizenship is the primary criterion for inclusion in the electoral rolls.
He described the current Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as a routine democratic exercise, historically conducted in years like 1952-56, 1957, 1961, 1965-66, 1983-84, 1987-89, 1992-93, 1995, 2002-04 -- mostly under Congress-led governments, except one under Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Nadda questioned the need for alarm, noting persistent issues like unrevised entries for migrated individuals or outdated records.
"We must prevent foreign nationals from infiltrating our rolls," he stressed, framing SIR as essential periodic maintenance.
Responding to DMK MP Tiruchi Siva's point of order -- clarifying opposition to the "method and manner" rather than SIR itself -- Nadda invoked India's ancient democratic ethos: "India is not just a democracy; it is the mother of democracy."
He praised the ECI for flawlessly managing the world's largest elections, congratulating it on its reform journey.
In a pointed historical reference, Nadda noted that for decades, one party -- and one family -- oversaw the ECI without facing mistrust accusations.
He contrasted this with current criticisms, expressing readiness for discussion: the debate had already spanned 10 hours with him as the 58th speaker.
Nadda criticised attempts to create suspicion around SIR, decrying phrases like "vote-chori" (vote theft) as unbecoming, especially from the Congress.
Urging responsible discourse to uphold the ECI's sanctity, Nadda called attacks on the institution an assault on democracy itself.
The exchange highlighted deep partisan divides over the 2025 SIR -- the first major revision in over two decades -- aimed at addressing duplicates, shifts, and potential infiltrations ahead of key polls.
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