BJP's Prakash Reddy countered AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's criticism of Telangana's Special Intensive Revision (SIR), assuring no genuine voters would be deleted and the exercise is only to prepare a new, updated electoral roll.
BJP Defends SIR, Assures No Genuine Voters Will Be Deleted
BJP leader Prakash Reddy on Friday hit back at AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's recent criticism of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Telangana, while reiterating government's stance over the exercise and assuring that no genuine voters would be deleted from the revised electoral rolls.
Speaking to ANI, Reddy stated that the names of people who are born after 2002, and who are not already on the voter list, will be included with new evidence of their residence, origin, and other details. "Once again, I would like to make this clear. This time, I want to clarify the position as far as SIR is concerned. SIR is not intended to delete voters; it is only to prepare a new voter list for the purpose of voting. Those born after 2002, and those whose names are not already on the voter list, will be included with new evidence of their residence, origin, and other details. Taking these into consideration, the voter list will be prepared. This is the original stand of SIR, and nobody should worry about it, because all genuine names and genuine citizens will be included in the voter list," said Prakash Reddy.
Owaisi Alleges SIR Mimics Controversial NRC
In a recent criticism over SIR, Owaisi on Thursday alleged that the SIR process mimics the controversial National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise to discriminate against the Muslim community.
Speaking to reporters here, Owaisi asserted that his remarks were intended to create awareness rather than incite fear. "We are not trying to scare anyone; no community is easily frightened. It is our responsibility to make them aware so that they can prepare adequately," the AIMIM president said.
Cites Assam NRC as Example
Talking about how the NRC exercise was carried out in Assam, Owaisi accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of blatant bias in handling the excluded people. "Consider the situation in Assam: the Supreme Court-monitored NRC process left out 1.8 to 1.9 million people. Of those, only 200,000 were Muslims; the rest were others. Himanta Biswa Sarma himself stated that non-Muslims would be granted citizenship, while Muslims would have to face the Foreigners' Tribunal. If this isn't discrimination, then what is?" Owaisi asked. (ANI)
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