Amit Shah Accuses Political Parties of Protecting Infiltrators Amid Mamata Banerjee's SIR Criticism

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have clashed over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

On Friday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that certain political parties are attempting to "protect infiltrators" by obstructing the Special Intensive Revision process for electoral rolls across states.

While Shah did not explicitly name any political party, his statement followed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's criticism a day earlier, where she described the ongoing SIR exercise in poll-bound West Bengal as "chaotic, coercive and dangerous."

"Stopping infiltration in India is not only necessary for the country's security, but it is also essential to prevent infiltration in order to protect the country's democratic system from being polluted," Shah stated in a Hindi post on X.

He further added, "Unfortunately, some political parties have embarked on a journey to protect these infiltrators, and they are against the purification work being carried out by the Election Commission in the voter list."

In a strongly worded letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday, Banerjee expressed that the SIR has reached a "deeply alarming stage." She claimed the drive was being conducted in an "unplanned, dangerous" manner that had "crippled the system from day one."

Banerjee wrote, "The manner in which this exercise is being forced upon officials and citizens is not only unplanned and chaotic, but also dangerous," noting that the lack of "basic preparedness, adequate planning or clear communication" had thrown the process into disarray.

The Chief Minister accused the Election Commission of imposing the SIR on officials and citizens "without basic preparedness," highlighting "critical gaps in training," confusion regarding mandatory documents, and the "near-impossibility" of booth-level officers (BLOs) meeting voters "in the midst of their livelihood schedules."

Her three-page letter depicted BLOs stretched "far beyond human limits," balancing their primary responsibilities, "many being teachers and frontline workers," while conducting door-to-door surveys and navigating problematic e-submissions.

According to Banerjee, most BLOs were "struggling with online forms due to lack of training, server failures and repeated data mismatches."

She warned, "At this pace, it is almost certain that by December 4, voter data across multiple constituencies cannot be uploaded with required accuracy."

Under "extreme pressure and fear of punitive action," many were being forced to make "incorrect or incomplete entries," risking disenfranchisement of legitimate voters and "eroding the integrity of the electoral roll," she added.

These failures, Banerjee cautioned, had rendered the entire exercise "structurally unsound" and placed its "credibility at severe risk."

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief urged Kumar to "intervene decisively to halt" the drive, stop "coercive measures," provide proper training and support, and "thoroughly reassess" the current methodology and timelines.

"If this path is not corrected without delay, the consequences for the system, the officials and the citizens will be irreversible," she warned, describing the situation as one that demands "responsibility, humanity and decisive corrective action."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rejected Banerjee's allegations and accused her of attempting to derail a lawful process.

Leader of Opposition in Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari also wrote to Kumar, accusing Banerjee of trying to "undermine" the Election Commission and "shield an illicit vote-bank" her party has "nurtured for years."

He dismissed Banerjee's characterization of the SIR as a "chaotic and disruptive" initiative, arguing that similar revision drives have been "part of the EC's toolkit since the 1950s," including the extensive exercise in 2002-03.

"The Chief Minister's letter is a calculated attempt to sow discord among election officials, discredit the ECI's constitutional mandate and protect a vote-bank of ineligible and illegal elements her government has nurtured for years," Adhikari asserted.

He accused Banerjee of "intimidating" booth level officers and making "unacceptable insinuations" against the CEC, adding that "such conduct from the head of a state government must be condemned."