New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) As the Opposition continued to stage loud protests in Parliament demanding an immediate discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, several senior BJP leaders and allied party figures hit back sharply on Tuesday, accusing the Opposition of misleading the public and manufacturing controversy for political mileage and doing drama.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh launched sharp attack, calling the Opposition’s protest “a blot on democracy”. Speaking to reporters, he said, “This is all drama and nothing else. When elections happen in Bengal, there is no vote theft; when a government is formed in Karnataka, there is no vote theft; when a government is formed in Himachal Pradesh, there is no vote theft. These people are shameless and a blot on democracy.”

Reiterating the government’s position, Singh added, “The government is always ready for discussion.”

In Bihar, Minister Dilip Jaiswal defended the SIR exercise, calling the Opposition’s allegations baseless. “The Opposition shamelessly talks about SIR. When SIR was implemented in Bihar, more than seven crore voters accepted it, and the Hon’ble Supreme Court also thoroughly reviewed it and found SIR to be valid. Even after this, if the Congress and the Opposition continue to act and raise their voices against democracy and the Constitution, the people will never forgive the Congress and the INDIA bloc…” he said.

RLM National President Upendra Kushwaha also accused the Opposition of inventing an issue where none exists. “The Opposition is unnecessarily trying to create an issue over SIR. During the recent Bihar elections, RJD and Congress leaders repeatedly claimed that votes were being stolen, but no evidence ever supported those allegations…”

“They are making a fuss over a useless issue. The Opposition has already seen the Bihar elections, where no case of vote theft came up. The Opposition doesn’t have any real issue to raise,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya echoed the sentiment, stating, “Those who are opposing SIR, people are opposing them.”

Uttar Pradesh Minister Jaiveer Singh defended the ongoing revision process in strong terms. “I believe SIR’s work is genuinely focussed on compiling the names of all eligible voters and providing a clean and accurate voter list across all 12 states. The Opposition, in their arrogance and helplessness, is continuously losing public trust in the elections in this manner…” he said.

UP Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar insisted that the process is transparent and well-regulated. “They are spreading a bundle of lies, there is nothing like that. We are also checking thoroughly, even going door-to-door. Our BLOs, appointed officials, teachers, and panchayat assistants, everyone assigned is properly listed and all names are being filled in the forms correctly. There is no issue anywhere. Names are being removed only of those who have either moved away or passed away…”

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi criticised what he described as habitual obstructionism by Opposition parties.

“The power hungry rulers and their family members, along with those controlling the party’s franchise have developed a habit of attacking every reform. SIR’s entire election process does not infringe on anyone’s voting rights. The entire election process respects every voter’s rights,” he said.

Opposition parties, alleging “vote chori” through the SIR process, continue to demand a full debate in Parliament. Their protests have led to multiple disruptions in the House as they press for government accountability on electoral roll revisions.

–IANS

rs/rad