In a strong statement against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has called for a similar exercise to not be conducted in his own state. Speaking at an event on Friday, Stalin said, "A situation like SIR in Bihar should not happen in Tamil Nadu."
With an aim to attract further investments, Stalin also announced his upcoming trip to Germany and England. "Tomorrow, I am leaving for Germany and England for the next week," he said. "Tamil Nadu has attracted ₹10 lakh crores in investments through our Dravidian model government policies."
The Opposition INDIA bloc parties have voiced strong objections to the SIR in Bihar, arguing that the exercise would disenfranchise large sections of society. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched a ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ in the state, which is currently campaigning against the SIR and alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party is committing 'vote theft' in connivance with the Election Commission.
Earlier this week, Stalin had joined Rahul Gandhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, and CPI-ML leader Dipankar Bhattacharya in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur for the yatra. During his time there, Stalin accused the BJP of turning the Election Commission of India (ECI) into a "puppet" and said that if elections were conducted in a fair manner, the National Democratic Alliance would lose. "Removing the people of Bihar from the voters’ list is not right," he had said while addressing the crowd.
Stalin also said that he had travelled from Tamil Nadu to support his "brothers." He added, "Rahul Gandhi has exposed the ‘vote chori’ by the Election Commission. CEC Gyanesh Kumar says that Rahul Gandhi should give an affidavit or apologise. Will Rahul Gandhi ever get scared by all this?… Today, the BJP is attacking them because it has shown how the BJP has turned elections into a joke."
Meanwhile, as the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ entered its final stages, Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani participated in the campaign in Bettiah on Friday. The yatra is scheduled to continue through Bettiah, West Champaran, and on to Siwan via Gopalganj.
Also read: Deletion of voters ‘worse than terrorism’, says Stalin in Bihar
Follow us
