Rahul Gandhi's claims establish SIR needed to correct voters' list: Assam CM
Sarma asserted that the SIR is essential for the northeastern state to remove the names of "Bangladeshis".
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, Gandhi claimed that over one lakh votes in the Mahadevapura assembly constituency in Karnataka were found to be fake, duplicate or bulk voters, with invalid addresses and new voters with misuse of Form 6.
"Rahul Gandhi has himself given a certificate that SIR should be conducted. There should be a unique name along with an Aadhaar number.
He (Gandhi) took some North Indian names. In Assam, we have names of Bangladeshis in our voter rolls.
"The same names are in Barpeta, Guwahati, Kerala and Delhi. It is a disease. That is why SIR is being done in Bihar," Sarma told reporters here on Thursday.
The CM said even the names of dead people feature in the electoral rolls of Assam.
"That is why it (SIR) is required in Assam. After a long time, Rahul Gandhi has indirectly supported the Election Commission. His claim establishes that SIR is needed. I welcome it," Sarma said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
19 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Resign from Lok Sabha if have no faith in Election Commission of India: BJP to Rahul
The BJP on Saturday (August 9, 2025) said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi must resign on "moral grounds" from the membership of the Lok Sabha if he does not have faith in the Election Commission, and flayed him for not submitting a written declaration on his "vote theft" claim. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also asked Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to resign as members of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha if they do not have any faith in the polls. "You (Rahul Gandhi) make baseless allegations before the media and then refuse to give proof and a written declaration when the constitutional body asks for it," Mr. Bhatia said at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. Reading out excerpts of a past Supreme Court judgement, the BJP spokesperson said the apex court had observed that there was no doubt about the bona fides of the Election Commission and that it was a matter of record that the poll body had built a reputation as an impartial body over the years. "Rahul Gandhi, if you don't trust the election commission and the observations made by the Supreme Court, do one thing: first, you resign from the Lok Sabha membership. Priyanka Gandhi, you also resign. Sonia Gandhi, you also resign at least on moral grounds because you are raising questions on the same Election Commission," Mr. Bhatia said. "Then, you go to the Supreme Court, the high court and people," he said. Mr. Bhatia also demanded that the Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh must also resign, for their top leaders had no faith in the ECI. "Whatever suits you, you accept. Whatever is inconvenient, you reject and cast aspersions on the Election Commission. This will not work," Mr. Bhatia said. Mr. Gandhi on Friday (August 8, 2025) asserted that he had taken the oath inside Parliament on the Constitution, as a response to the EC demanding from him an affidavit under oath over his "vote chori" claim. Addressing the Vote Adhikar Rally in Bengaluru, he also said the Karnataka government should probe the inclusion of fake voters in the State during the 2024 Lok Sabha election. "The ECI asks me to file an affidavit and give information under oath. I have taken oath inside Parliament, in front of the Constitution, on the Constitution," he said. Mr. Bhatia termed Mr. Gandhi's "vote theft" claim a lie: "'Rahul aka 'arajak tatva' (anarchic element) has now become Rahul aka 'vidhwansak' (destroyer). He wants to destroy the Constitution of India and Indian democracy." He also accused the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha of being "immature" and starting a war against constitutional institutions by threatening ECI officials.
India Today
19 minutes ago
- India Today
Took care of ghost of Balakot: Air Force chief on evidence of Op Sindoor success
In a veiled attack on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, on Saturday said Operation Sindoor had given India's defence forces the chance to show clear proof of the damage it inflicted - something it could not do after the 2019 Balakot strike. He said Operation Sindoor had finally 'taken care of that ghost'.advertisementAir Chief Marshal Singh's remarks come amid Opposition leaders seeking clarification over Operation Sindoor. Leaders, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, have questioned the government's handling of the mission, sought clarity on the number of terrorists killed, and alleged political directives limited the Air Force's week, Rahul Gandhi said in Parliament that pilots were sent in 'without allowing them to neutralise' Pakistan's air defence systems, calling it a case of 'tying their hands behind their backs'. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Saturday laid out evidence of the damage India inflicted on Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.'In Balakot, we could not get anything from inside, and it became a big issue trying to tell our own people, unfortunately, as to what we had been able to achieve,' he said at an event in Bengaluru. 'We had intelligence of what had gone on inside a very clear picture that there had been huge damage, that so many terrorists had been neutralised. But we could not convince our own people. So I'm very happy that this time we were able to tell the world what we have achieved.'Operation Sindoor, which involved high-intensity strikes over 80 to 90 hours, achieved 'so much damage' that Pakistan sought talks to halt the conflict, Air Chief Marshal Singh said. 'They came forward and sent a message to our DGMO that they wanted to talk. This was accepted on our side.'Backing the government's decision to pause the operation, Singh said, 'People got down to their egos in the war. Our objective was very clear – to teach terrorists a lesson so they think twice before doing anything. Once we achieved that, we should have looked for all windows of opportunity to stop. Some people very close to me said, 'Aur maarna tha'. But can we continue to be at war? Why should we be at war when we can stop it?'Singh also detailed the Air Force's offensive capability during the operation, noting that none of Pakistan's aircraft came close to India's air defence range. 'That night we didn't have any hold bar. We would stretch resources to give him the indication that we can attack deep inside, at will. Bholari, an AEW&C hangar, was attacked and we have a very clear hint there was an aircraft in sight when this attack took place,' he to the Air Chief Marshal's statement, BJP leader Amit Malviya accused the Opposition of undermining the forces. 'Imagine — our brave armed forces risk their lives in #OperationSindoor, deliver a crushing blow to terror, and yet face doubt from within the country. The Opposition and Rahul Gandhi in particular owe an apology,' he said in a post on Balakot strike of February 2019 followed the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. While the government maintained that a large number of terrorists were killed, Opposition leaders at the time sought proof, with some citing conflicting media reports.- EndsMust Watch
India.com
19 minutes ago
- India.com
Pawar Alleges Offer To Fix 160 Assembly Seats, Fadnavis Rubbishes Claim
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed that ahead of last year's Maharashtra Assembly elections, two individuals approached him with a 'guarantee' to secure victory in 160 out of the 288 seats in the state. 'I was surprised. I ignored those two people. During that time, I had no suspicion about the Election Commission. I arranged their meeting with Rahul Gandhi. After that, whatever those people wanted to say, they said to Rahul Gandhi. However, Rahul Gandhi and I thought that we should not pay attention to them. This is not our path. We decided that we will go to the people and seek the mandate during the assembly elections,' Pawar said. Pawar made these revelations at a press conference held here in the presence of state party chief Shashikant Shinde, former home ministers Anil Deshmukh and Jitendra Awhad, state general secretary Rohit Pawar, among others. He claimed that those two people had told him about manipulating votes in 160 seats. He reiterated that he did not pay attention to this; instead will seek people's mandate directly. Pawar supported Rahul Gandhi's move to raise various issues, including vote theft and rigging in the elections. 'There should be a thorough investigation into the allegations made by Rahul Gandhi, and we want an answer from the Election Commission, not from the BJP,' added Pawar. Awhad corroborated Pawar's account, saying that two people had gone to meet party chief Sharad Pawar and offered him about the manipulation of votes in 160 seats. However, the party chief did not pay attention to them, saying that this could not happen. However, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rejected the claims outright. He said, 'I don't understand one thing. Why did Pawar Saheb remember all this only after meeting Rahul Gandhi, and that too after so many days?' 'Sharad Pawar didn't say anything for so long, but today he suddenly made this statement. Just like Rahul Gandhi, who is telling imaginary stories every day, is Pawar Saheb doing the same ?' he taunted. He further stated, 'Even if opponents create confusion, elections in India are held in a free and fair manner. They make accusations about EVMs and the election process in public, but when called by the Election Commission, they don't turn up. They are not ready to give an affidavit. They say they have taken an oath in Parliament. But does the oath in Parliament work in the Supreme Court or in the high courts? They know that if caught lying, they could face criminal action. So they just lie every day and run away."
