Patna (Bihar) [India], September 24 : Amid a row that erupted over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, Congress General Secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Wednesday said that the party will go among the people and make sure no eligible voter should be disenfranchised.
Mir stated that the Congress party is not against the SIR but is against its sudden implementation in Bihar. He added that if the Election Commission wanted to conduct SIR, they should have conducted it nationwide just after the Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader said, "... Congress is not against the SIR. They (EC) should have done it nationwide after the Lok Sabha elections, and the people should have been given a specific time to prepare their documents... We will go among the people regarding this and make sure anyone more than 18 years of age should not lose their right to vote..."
Earlier in the day, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) targeted the BJP-led government during the meeting in Patna, accusing it of "systematically dismantling democratic institutions and constitutional values."
The CWC alleged that the Centre has weakened the Election Commission and other institutions, and investigative agencies such as the CBI and ED are being used to pursue personal vendettas.
"The Congress Working Committee observes that the BJP-RSS's relentless attacks on the Constitution and the Republic have continued unabated. The Parliament has been undermined, and even Constitutional offices have not been spared. The Election Commission of India, long the cornerstone of our vibrant democracy, has been turned into a servile mouthpiece for the government," the CWC said in its resolution.
"The CBI and ED have been reduced to blunt instruments of political vendetta, deployed against anyone who challenges Modi's rule. Every institution of democracy and justice has been diminished, with the state becoming subservient to the interests of the ruling party and its RSS allies," it added.
The CWC also raised the issue of alleged widespread electoral irregularities in Bihar, which have undermined democracy. It also accused the BJP of depriving the backward classes, minorities, and the poor, hailing Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', which serves the purpose of "defending constitutional rights".
"The revelation of large-scale Vote Chori and irregularities in our electoral rolls has shaken public belief in the very foundations of our democracy. The CWC resolved to salute Rahul Gandhi for boldly exposing the shameless Vote Chori and bravely fighting these brazen attempts to subvert democracy. This exposes the systematic and deliberate conspiracy used to manufacture an elected majority for the BJP. A government built on stolen mandates and rigged voter lists has no moral or political legitimacy. It is not based on public trust but on deceit. The "Voter Adhikar Yatra" led by the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is a firm pledge that the Congress Party will never give up the fight for those who have been inhumanely treated, exploited, oppressed and marginalised by the BJP," the resolution added.
"The CWC reiterates its dire apprehension regarding the "Special Intensive Revision" in Bihar as yet another dirty trick from the BJP's toolkit to manipulate electoral rolls and cling to power. Their aim is clear: to disenfranchise the poor, workers, backward classes and minorities - the very people who are determined to oust the NDA from Bihar. Once their votes are taken away, they will also be deprived of their other rights - ration, housing, water, pension, healthcare facilities and even dignity," it added.