Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 27 : Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan alleged that people are facing inconvenience due to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Tamil Nadu.
In an official statement, Haasan asserted that these complications are not merely a regional concern but a national issue shared by numerous states across the country.
He further noted that several exemplary cases of voter confusion and distress have already been brought to national attention.
"SIR's inconvenience caused to voters must be addressed, not merely by Members of the Lower House or the Upper House alone, but by the Government. We have raised several questions and received contra-indicative answers. Unfortunately, these answers have not enabled us to convincingly reassure the people of Tamil Nadu. We have come to realise that this is not a regional issue. It is a national inconvenience, shared by our sister states across the length and breadth of our motherland. Numerous exemplary gratia of voter confusion and distress have been brought to national attention," said Hassan.
He further declared that his party will continue to protest using time-tested, peaceful tools to defend the rights of the people in Tamil Nadu against the SIR process. Furthermore, he asserted that the inconvenience caused to voters by SIR should be recognised as a serious threat to India's democracy.
"I shall continue to protest using time-tested, peaceful tools to defend our rights. History has taught us that any other path begets bloodshed. Enough blood has soaked this land. Now, the time has come to stem the growing discontent among our citizens--an issue more urgent than many others we debate in this gathering," said Hassan.
"I have complete faith that our brave and resolute Armed Forces will defend us against threats from beyond our borders. But we, my respected colleagues, are soldiers entrusted with defending our people within this country. Our sole weapon is the Constitution. We must not allow it to erode, rust, or fracture--whether through misuse, convenient amnesia, or sheer negligence. This is not a question I raise today but a concern. A concern I place before this gathering as a representative of my people: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and every other linguistic and cultural identity that together form this Republic. Deliberation alone will not suffice. This must be addressed as an imminent and dangerous threat to our democracy," added Hassan.
Earlier, Communist Party of India (CPI) MP P Sandosh Kumar labelled the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive being carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in various states as "Special Intensive Removal", alleging that the principle of democracy was being reversed.
He claimed that instead of voters choosing their representatives, "the rulers are selecting their voters."
"We have raised many issues. The main issue, however, was the SIR, which now stands for Special Intensive Removal. Normally in a democracy, voters elect their ruler, but here, the reverse is happening. The rulers are selecting their voters. The Election Commission has become an eradication commission. In the name of Maoism, tribals are getting killed, especially in the Bastar area of Chhattisgarh," Kumar told ANI after attending the all-party meeting.