Abdul Majeed, the state unit president of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), made serious allegations against the Election Commission on Sunday. Speaking at a party workers' meeting in Madikeri, he claimed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists would not just target Muslims but could affect a staggering 100 crore Indians.
Widespread Impact on Poor and Labourers
Majeed emphasized that the poor and wage labourers would bear the brunt of this exercise. He argued their voting rights would be put at significant risk through this process. The SDPI leader drew a direct parallel with the government's demonetisation move from several years ago.
"Just like earlier claims about curbing black money and terrorism through demonetisation failed to deliver results, presenting SIR as a tool to identify infiltrators is equally foolish," Majeed told the gathering at Gandhi Maidan.
Questioning the Timing and Intent
The SDPI president suggested SIR was being pushed aggressively because the National Register of Citizens (NRC) issue remains pending before the courts. He called this a dangerous step that could subject ordinary citizens to what he described as a "citizenship fire test."
Majeed provided specific numbers to support his claims. He stated that approximately 90 lakh people had already lost their voting rights due to SIR in Tamil Nadu alone. According to his figures, Muslims accounted for about 20 lakh of those deletions from voter lists.
Criticism of State Government
The SDPI leader strongly questioned why the Siddaramaiah-led state government had not taken any action against the SIR process. He accused the state administration of failing to protect citizens' voting rights despite having the authority to intervene.
Majeed further alleged that the Siddaramaiah government had been demolishing poor people's houses using bulldozers without proper notice. He claimed these actions violated Supreme Court directions regarding due process and housing rights.
Political Positioning and Appeals
During his address, Majeed appealed for public support for SDPI in upcoming elections. He positioned his party as standing firmly for justice and constitutional values. The SDPI leader argued that his party represented the interests of those most vulnerable to what he called discriminatory policies.
SDPI state general secretary Afsar Kodlipete, who also spoke at the meeting, echoed these concerns. He alleged that SIR represented a backdoor approach to implementing NRC and described it as a conspiracy for potential vote rigging in future elections.
"Only SDPI has the courage and commitment to confront the BJP on these issues," Kodlipete claimed. "The Congress party has been politically weakening and cannot effectively challenge these policies."
District-Level Concerns
Amin Mohisin, the Kodagu district president of SDPI, added his voice to the criticism. He alleged that SIR was ultimately aimed at snatching citizenship rights from legitimate citizens. Mohisin claimed there had been large-scale voter exclusions happening across the country through this process.
The district leader demanded that the state government convene a special assembly session specifically to oppose the SIR process. He argued that elected representatives needed to take a stand against what he characterized as an assault on democratic rights.
Event Details and Participation
Before the main meeting at Gandhi Maidan, SDPI organized a rally through Madikeri city. Several party leaders and numerous members participated in both the rally and the subsequent gathering. The events demonstrated the party's organizational presence in the region and its focus on voter rights issues.
The SDPI leadership used the platform to articulate their concerns about electoral processes while positioning themselves as defenders of constitutional values. Their statements reflected growing political tensions around voter registration exercises ahead of upcoming elections.
