Congress Spreading Misinformation on SIR Out of Fear of Electoral Verdict: Ram Madhav BJP National Vice President says Special Intensive Revision is a transparent democratic exercise; accuses opposition of attempting to undermine constitutional institutions
Jammu, November 3 (ANB): BJP National Vice President Ram Madhav on Tuesday accused the Congress and its opposition allies of spreading misinformation about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the campaign was aimed at creating confusion, undermining public confidence in constitutional institutions and destabilising the country's democratic framework.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Trikuta Nagar, Jammu, Madhav said the opposition, facing political challenges and struggling to secure public support through democratic means, was attempting to generate unrest through what he described as a deliberate misinformation campaign against the Election Commission of India.
The press conference was attended by J&K BJP General Secretaries Sanjita Dogra, Baldev Singh Billawaria and Gopal Mahajan, Chief Spokesperson Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi and Media In-charge Dr Pardeep Mahotra.
Madhav maintained that the Election Commission had presented its position before the Supreme Court through an affidavit, placing facts on record to establish the fairness and transparency of the electoral revision exercise.
Explaining the significance of the SIR process, he said the exercise was being undertaken after nearly two decades and constituted a legitimate democratic mechanism to ensure the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls.
He said Booth Level Officers were conducting door-to-door verification to identify discrepancies, remove ineligible entries and ensure that electoral rolls accurately reflected eligible voters, including the detection of entries allegedly belonging to foreign nationals residing illegally in the country.
Accusing the Congress of opposing the exercise for political reasons, Madhav alleged that the party was uncomfortable with efforts to scrutinise electoral rolls and remove illegal entries. He further claimed that repeated allegations against constitutional institutions were part of a broader attempt to create political instability.
Drawing comparisons with developments in neighbouring Bangladesh and Nepal, he said attempts to generate street unrest and undermine democratic institutions would not succeed in India because of its strong democratic foundations and politically conscious electorate.
Questioning the Congress's credentials on electoral integrity, Madhav referred to the Allahabad High Court judgment that had declared former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's election void. He also recalled the controversies surrounding the 1987 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, arguing that electoral irregularities during that period contributed to public alienation and the subsequent rise of terrorism in the region.
He questioned the Congress's moral authority to raise concerns over electoral democracy while, according to him, its own political history remained marked by serious controversies surrounding elections.
Responding to opposition allegations concerning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), battery functioning and electoral manipulation, Madhav said the Congress had repeatedly failed to substantiate its claims with evidence.
He also questioned the opposition's demand to return to ballot-paper voting, arguing that its electoral performance in recent ballot-paper elections did not support its claims regarding the reliability of the system.
Describing the joint opposition rally held at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi as a political failure, Madhav said the participation of 23 opposition parties had failed to demonstrate the level of public support they claimed to command.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's electoral victories in 2014, 2019 and 2024, he said the successive mandates reflected the continued confidence of voters in his leadership.
Madhav asserted that the BJP would take the facts surrounding the SIR exercise to the people and firmly counter what it described as the Congress's misinformation campaign.
He said the party would expose every attempt to weaken democratic institutions, expressing confidence that India's democratic system would prevail over what he termed the politics of confusion and anarchy.
ANB NEWS NETWORK
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