'Uneducated': BJP's Sanjay Jaiswal slams Tejashwi Yadav's 'sootra' remark on SIR; demands apology
for dismissing reports of illegal foreign nationals being found in the state's electoral rolls.
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The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise by the
has become a flashpoint between the ruling and opposition camps in Bihar.
Reacting sharply to Tejashwi's comments, Jaiswal pulled no punches. Speaking to ANI, he said, "Only Tejashwi Yadav can make such comments about media personnel or any human being in general. The problem with Tejashwi Yadav is that he is not educated, which is why the people at his home make him memorise whatever they want, and he just repeats it.
But if someone asks him a question outside of that, he will create this kind of mess.
"
Calling the RJD leader "uneducated and irresponsible," Jaiswal demanded a public apology. "Tejashwi Yadav should publicly apologise, express regret, and take an oath that he will not say anything beyond what he is taught at home," he added.
The war of words escalated after Tejashwi rubbished reports suggesting that Bangladeshis, Nepalis, and even people from Myanmar had been detected as voters in Bihar during the Election Commission's house-to-house verification.
"Who are these sources?" Tejashwi asked. Mocking the credibility of the reports, he said, "These are the same sources that said Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore have been captured."
He further added,
"Ye sootra ko hum mootra samajhte hai."
Tejashwi also questioned the timing and intent of the revision. "SIR was conducted for the last time in 2003 under the UPA government. Since then, we have seen many elections, including the ones in 2014, 2019, and 2024.
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In those elections, we lost by three to four lakhs. Does that mean all these foreigners voted for PM Modi?... This means that the NDA are at fault for any dubious elements' names getting added to the voter lists.
"
He went on to claim that the process was politically motivated. "That means all the elections they have won have been a fraud... SIR is a complete eyewash. The EC is working as a cell of a political party."
Earlier, news agency PTI quoted Election Commission officials as saying that field-level teams had identified 'a large number' of suspected foreign nationals, mainly from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, during the verification drive.
As Bihar heads toward assembly elections later this year, the Election Commission's SIR effort to clean up the electoral rolls has taken center stage, and may set the tone for a nationwide scrutiny of voter lists, particularly with a focus on verifying individuals' place of birth.
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