Patna (Bihar) [India], November 24 : Union Minister Nityanand Rai on Monday lashed out at the Opposition over their dissent on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing them of supporting illegal immigrants "under a policy of appeasement."
Nityanand Rai justified SIR, arguing that it strengthens democracy by expelling the "infiltrators" from the country.
"Rahul Gandhi is raising questions, but SIR is so essential from every perspective for strengthening democracy. Those who have infiltrated our country and registered their names on the voter list using illegal documents, whether in Bihar, West Bengal, or any other state in the country, must be expelled," Nityanand Rai said.
"The opposition parties in India are supporting them under a policy of appeasement, which is not in the country's or the youth's interest," he said.
Earlier, Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh levelled serious allegations against the ruling BJP-led government, claiming that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India is a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise voters and warned that the "next step" would be stripping citizenship of targeted citizens.
Speaking to reporters in Indore, the Congress veteran accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of shielding the Election Commission by getting retired judges, IAS, and IPS officers to sign an open letter in its defence.
"Through SIR, these people are snatching their votes, and the next step will be taking away their citizenship. Then they will make their own list, and then how will democracy survive?" Singh said.
"Narendra Modi, in order to save the Election Commission, has assembled a number of retired judges, IAS, IPS and signed the open letter. These people who are members of the BJP, linked with RSS and crores of money were found in their homes are taking the side of the Election Commission. The Election Commission is doing fraud," he added.
The Rajya Sabha MP was referring to an open letter written by over 272 eminent citizens, including 16 Judges, 123 retired bureaucrats, 14 Ambassadors, 133 retired armed forces officers, condemning the repeated "assault on national constitutional authorities" by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his "Vote Chori" allegations.
Currently, a nationwide SIR is underway in 12 states and union territories, including West Bengal, with the final elector's list to be published on February 7, 2026.
These states and UTs include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
According to the Election Commission, printing and training took place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November 4 to December 4.
The draft electoral rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objections period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The Notice Phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 2026, with publication of Final Electoral Rolls on February 7, 2026.