SIR row: Union Minister Chirag Paswan asks EC to ‘dispel misgivings in people’s minds’
Paswan, who heads Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), says public trust in the electoral system is vital, urges poll panel to clarify reports of differences over voter-roll revision
Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday (September 25) asked the Election Commission to "dispel misgivings in the minds of the people" that have arisen over a report on the alleged differences within the poll panel over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Paswan, who heads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), also made it clear that "as part of the government" he did not intend to "defend a Constitutional body", nor did he set much store by allegations levelled by opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi.
"Let me make it clear that as part of the government, I do not intend to defend what is a constitutional body. I am also not much worried about the allegations made by the opposition which will always take a stand that suits it politically," the Hajipur MP told reporters.
‘EC must clarify more forcefully’
He, however, added, "If the people start losing trust in the electoral system, that will not augur well for democracy and, therefore, I think the Election Commission must come out with its clarification more forcefully. It need not respond to what Rahul Gandhi and his associates are saying. But it must dispel misgivings in the minds of the people."
Incidentally, the guarded response of Paswan is at variance with the aggressive defence of the EC by the BJP, which has further infuriated the opposition, prompting it to allege that the SIR was manipulated to suit the senior NDA partner.
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More than 10 crore voters' names are said to have been struck off the electoral rolls under the mammoth exercise that began in Bihar last year, just ahead of the assembly polls, and later covered the entire country in a phased manner.
(With agency inputs)