Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 26 : Legislators of the INDIA bloc staged a protest outside the Jharkhand Assembly on Tuesday against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging voter suppression ahead of the upcoming elections.
Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, criticised the INDIA bloc's protest, stating, "I think they must not be understanding what SIR is, but only causing confusion. Their leader (Congress MP & LoP Rahul Gandhi) is roaming there (Bihar). All issues raised by their leader were not picked up. SIR will happen in the entire country. It is most required to be done in Jharkhand as the demography is changing in the state. Rahul Gandhi has not been able to find another solution yet."
Jharkhand Minister and Congress MLA Deepika Pandey Singh defended the protest, saying, "Rahul ji has exposed with facts and data how the Election Commission has manipulated the election rolls. Now that this issue is in the public domain and there is proof and evidence of valid voters being removed from the election rolls, we want the government to take action, and there should be a debate on this in Parliament."
Jharkhand Minister Dr Irfan Ansari also hit out at the BJP, alleging, "BJP has made the country a puppet and made fun of the public. Will you snatch people's right to vote? They (BJP) should not think of doing such a thing in Jharkhand. They will not get Bihar now that Rahul Gandhi has gone there. They have cut the votes of Muslims and Dalits. Congress party's connect with the public has risen, and you will see its result."
Meanwhile, the protest in Jharkhand comes in the wake of similar demonstrations in Bihar, where opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of manipulating voter lists.
The Congress has launched a 16-day 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar, led by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. The yatra aims to raise awareness over alleged irregularities in the voter list, which opposition leaders have described as 'vote chori' (vote theft). Covering over 1,300 km across 20 districts, the yatra is scheduled to conclude in Patna on September 1.