CPI(ML) warns of SIR rollout in West Bengal, flags disenfranchisement fears
'It is no secret that what is happening in Bihar will start in West Bengal very soon. The Election Commission of India has openly said that this exercise will be undertaken in all States. This came as a shock to the people of Bihar, but the people of West Bengal have been warned,' Mr. Bhattacharya said.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Mr. Bhattacharya claimed that, as in Bihar, the SIR could potentially leave 'multiple crores' off the electoral rolls in West Bengal, particularly affecting migrant workers and students.
Also Read | The dark signs of restricted or selective franchise
'West Bengal's migrant workers are in terrible condition across the country. They are being assaulted in Odisha, Maharashtra, Haryana; they are being insulted, murdered. The terms Bangladeshi and Banglabhasi (Bengali speakers) are being switched and acted upon interchangeably. When a hysteria is already being created around Bengali speakers as Bangladeshi infiltrators, we can only imagine what impact SIR can have on this State,' he said.
Mr. Bhattacharya said the issue is currently under judicial scrutiny, with the Supreme Court hearing petitions challenging the legality of the SIR. He noted that the outcome of the proceedings would apply not just to Bihar but to all States where the revision exercise is being planned.
Condemning the SIR, the CPI(ML) leader called for widespread protests and public mobilisation.
'They should call SIR a surgical invasive reconstruction. It is a surgical, invasive reconstruction of the voter list. It aims to create a truncated, selective electorate by going against the universal voting rights that the Constitution accords to every Indian without discrimination. It is essentially a citizenship test where, within one month, rightful voters have to prove their citizenship based on an indicative, not exhaustive, list of documents,' he said.
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