Daijiworld Media Network – Chennai
Chennai, Jul 26: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin has strongly criticised the Election Commission of India’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, calling it a dangerous attempt to "engineer outcomes, not reform the system."
In a sharply worded post on X (formerly Twitter), Stalin wrote, “SIR is not about reform. It is about engineering outcomes. Don’t play with fire.” He warned that “any threat to our democracy will be met with firm resistance,” asserting that Tamil Nadu would fight such “injustice with every democratic weapon at our disposal.”
His remarks come ahead of a crucial Supreme Court hearing on Monday, where civil society groups and opposition parties have challenged the EC’s sweeping voter verification drive launched in Bihar.
According to the EC, the exercise aims to weed out non-citizens from voter rolls. In its affidavit to the Supreme Court, the Commission argued that it has constitutional powers to demand proof of citizenship, especially from those born between July 1987 and December 2004, and that even Parliament cannot limit these powers.
However, the EC has excluded widely held documents such as Aadhaar, ration cards, and EPICs issued before January 2025 from the list of valid proof. It has further asked for parental citizenship documents from certain age groups, triggering widespread criticism from political parties and rights activists.
Opposition leaders allege the move targets poor and minority communities and could lead to mass voter disenfranchisement ahead of elections. Reports from Bihar suggest procedural confusion and tight timelines, with many citizens unable to submit the required documents in time.
Legal experts have also raised concerns about the EC creating a “parallel mechanism” for determining citizenship, a domain constitutionally reserved for the Union government.
Meanwhile, the BJP has defended the SIR initiative, saying it strengthens the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring only genuine citizens are allowed to vote. The party has accused the Opposition of fear-mongering and politicising a constitutional process.