AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the government’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stating it would create a permanent class of excluded Indians. He highlighted that 6.5 crore names were removed from the rolls in 13 states and union territories under this initiative. Owaisi expressed concern over the proposal to form a committee to address exclusions and establish a system for identifying, detaining, and deporting illegal immigrants.
SIR, according to Owaisi, could lead to the exclusion of certain individuals from voting rights, impacting their access to government benefits. He emphasized that despite deletions under SIR, it does not confirm a person’s citizenship status, with many still under adjudication. Notably, data suggests that those excluded by SIR are predominantly Muslims, women, the poor, and migrants.
The AIMIM chief questioned the necessity of the proposed committee, citing stable demographics and a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.0. He criticized the government for causing unnecessary documentation burdens on citizens, such as KYC and SIR processes, while failing in basic governance tasks. Owaisi raised concerns about the government’s scrutiny of citizens while avoiding accountability to the public.
