Owaisi alleges SIR could create 'permanent class of excluded Indians'

AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday alleged that the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls could be used to create a "permanent class of excluded Indians", claiming the exercise disproportionately affects Muslims, women, migrants and economically weaker sections.

In a post on X, Owaisi said the right to vote was the poor's most effective tool against those in power and warned that disenfranchisement could leave vulnerable groups with limited means to assert their rights.

The AIMIM chief alleged that the Centre had earlier undertaken a document-driven SIR exercise that led to the deletion of nearly 6.5 crore names from electoral rolls across 13 states and Union Territories. He claimed the government now intends to study those exclusions through a committee with a view to creating a permanent mechanism for identifying, detaining and deporting illegal immigrants.

Owaisi further alleged that available data indicated that a majority of those excluded during the revision process were Muslims, women, migrants and poor citizens.

"SIR will be used to create a permanent class of excluded Indians. The right to vote is the poor's only weapon against the powerful. Without it, the government will do what it pleases with them," he said.

He also referred to reports of people allegedly being denied benefits under government welfare schemes and asserted that deletion of a name from the electoral roll through the SIR process did not automatically mean a person was not an Indian citizen.

Questioning the rationale behind the proposed committee, Owaisi said around 27 lakh cases remained under adjudication and many affected individuals could still seek fresh voter enrolment through Form 6.

He further claimed that the Election Commission had not provided data on how many people were removed from electoral rolls on the grounds that they were foreigners.

Referring to demographic data, Owaisi said official figures showed that the Muslim population growth rate had stabilised and that the community's total fertility rate stood at around 2.0.

"Why do we need this committee, then? So that there can be constant paranoia and fear directed against Muslims," he alleged.

The Hyderabad MP also criticised the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government, alleging that it frequently required citizens to undergo documentation exercises such as KYC (Know Your Customer) verification and SIR processes while failing to adequately address administrative shortcomings elsewhere.