Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal on Thursday criticized the timing and nature of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar, calling it “a targeted attempt to delete specific groups” ahead of the assembly elections. Speaking in Kolkata, Venugopal said, “What is happening in Bihar under the SIR is aimed at removing voters from certain groups, including SC, ST, OBC, minorities, and economically weaker sections.”
Venugopal alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has lost its neutrality, asserting, “The ECI is now functioning in alignment with the central government. For free and fair elections, a correct voter list is essential. If the SIR is meant to include genuine voters, it is acceptable. But if it is deleting legitimate voters, that is unacceptable.”
He further criticized the timing of the SIR, noting that there was no prior discussion or consensus with political parties before undertaking such a large-scale revision. “A massive exercise like this should involve consultation with all parties. That step was completely ignored,” Venugopal said.
During his two-day visit to West Bengal, Venugopal also met with senior state Congress leaders, including Pradesh Congress Committee President Suvankar Ghosh. Responding to BJP’s claims that Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ presentation was prepared abroad, Venugopal dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. “Whenever the truth comes from Rahul Gandhi or any opposition party, the BJP resorts to such strategies. The slogan ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhodd’ has become a nationwide sentiment,” he stated.
He added, “The BJP’s agenda is to polarize the electorate and distract from real issues such as employment and development. People understand that the SIR and voter list manipulations are attempts to influence votes.”
On the upcoming Vice-President elections, Venugopal emphasized the unity of the Indian alliance, saying, “The VP election will be contested on ideological grounds. Those who support the INDIA Bloc’s principles have shown their stance. Our fight is for upholding the Constitution.”
Regarding the potential CPI-M and Congress alliance in the West Bengal assembly polls, Venugopal clarified that the decision will be finalized by the Pradesh Congress Committee and submitted to the party High Command for approval.
