CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday said preventing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out by Election Commission of India (ECI) is a huge responsibility as it takes away “the right to vote, which is a basic feature of democracy”.
The DMK president, in a social media post, said the party is fighting a legal battle against the exercise, and has simultaneously set up “war room and helpline” to prevent goof-ups during its implementation.
On Tuesday, members of the Secular Progressive Alliance led by the ruling DMK staged protests across TN, urging the ECI to halt the exercise.
Pointing to the huge turnout in the protests, Stalin said, “Let us continue to work and protect our people’s right to vote.” Senior leaders, including T R Baalu (DMK), K Selvaperunthagai (Congress), P Shanmugam (CPI-M) Vaiko (MDMK), and Thol Thirumavalavan (VCK) took part in the demonstrations held at various places.
‘EPS trying to take away voting rights of Tamils’
Some of the slogans raised were, “Don’t steal votes,” and “Election Commission, are you a stooge of the BJP?
SIR has been under way across the state since November 4 and the DMK and its allies have been raising various complaints against it, including lack of proper training for Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and lag in the distribution of enumeration forms to voters.
The parties have also alleged that SIR was aimed at taking away the voting rights of minorities, women and SC people, among others. The DMK has dubbed it as a conspiracy and a shortcut attempt by the BJP to gain a foothold in TN as it has failed to win the people’s mandate.
Meanwhile, minister S Regupathy in a statement said, “DMK has no second opinion about the need to conduct elections fairly and to revise the electoral rolls. However, with only a few months left for the Assembly elections, the ECI’s hasty implementation of SIR without allowing adequate time shows its intention and hence we are opposing it.”
Referring to the AIADMK’s petition in the Supreme Court regarding SIR, he said “JD(U), which is part of BJP alliance, did not file case during the SIR in Bihar. Similarly, Telugu Desam party also did not file case in support of SIR. But Edappadi K Palaniswami, to show his loyalty (to BJP) has moved the court in support of SIR.”
“Without worrying about people, Palaniswami has not only mortgaged his party but is now attempting to make TN subservient to Delhi by taking away the voting rights of Tamil people. People will give him a fitting reply,” he added.
SC seeks EC’s reply on DMK plea
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought separate responses from the EC on pleas filed by DMK, CPM, West Bengal Congress and Trinamool Congress leaders challenging the SIR of the electoral rolls in TN and West Bengal respectively.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the poll panel to respond to the petitions in two weeks. The court also asked the Madras and Calcutta HCs to keep in abeyance any proceedings on petitions challenging the SIR exercise in TN and West Bengal. It also allowed the listing of an intervention application filed by the AIADMK in support of the SIR in Tamil Nadu.