Rahul Gandhi and BJP Clash Over West Bengal's Special Intensive Revision Exercise

Training exercises for block level officers (BLOs) for the SIR in Bengal (file)

New Delhi:

Following fierce contestations in Bihar and legal battles in the Supreme Court, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has now shifted to West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have already begun opposing the Election Commission's voter roll cleanup initiative.

The Congress party, among other opposition groups, has strongly criticized the SIR, with some Congress leaders attributing their poor performance in the Bihar assembly election to this exercise.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi spearheaded the opposition's stance against the SIR in Bengal on Sunday. In a Hindi post on X, he stated: "Under the guise of SIR, chaos has been unleashed across the country - the result? In three weeks, 16 BLOs [booth level officers] have lost their lives. Heart attacks, stress, suicides - SIR is no reform, it's an imposed tyranny."

Gandhi further alleged: "SIR is a calculated ploy - where citizens are being harassed and the deaths of BLOs from unnecessary pressure are dismissed as collateral damage. This is not a failure, it's a conspiracy - a sacrifice of democracy to protect those in power."

The Opposition exhausted all efforts to impede the SIR in Bihar, from Supreme Court petitions to widespread protests. However, they had little response when the Election Commission simply explained that voter rolls require periodic updates, maintaining there is no conspiracy involved.

Beyond Bengal, northeastern states bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh, which historically face issues with illegal immigration, are also preparing to implement the SIR.

The Trinamool Congress has organized a meeting on Monday, to be chaired by general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, to discuss the SIR. Mamata Banerjee plans to meet with members of the Matua community in Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, on Tuesday to educate people about the SIR and ensure fair inclusion.

Bengal's BJP has criticized Mamata Banerjee and her party for creating controversy around the SIR. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari urged BLOs in the state to strictly follow Election Commission directives to prevent unauthorized voters from being included in the draft rolls after the SIR exercise.

At a Nandigram public event, Adhikari referred to "few BLOs" allegedly showing allegiance to the ruling Trinamool Congress and "trying to do things in favour of one political party."

He stated: "Not a single genuine citizen of the state, nor the BLOs or BLAs of political parties including the BJP, are apprehensive about SIR or fear being sent to detention camps as they see through the false narrative of Mamata Banerjee and her men."

Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose took a more conciliatory approach, appealing to all parties to allow the Election Commission and state government to address public concerns about the SIR. "There are various fears among people about SIR. Incidents like suicide have happened. In this context, the Election Commission and the state government should meet more to allay people's fears about SIR," the Governor remarked.

Emboldened by their substantial victory in Bihar, the BJP has expressed confidence that this momentum will carry into Bengal's assembly election scheduled for early next year.