Citizenship, identity, dignity under attack: Pawan Khera flags 'deep flaws' in SIR

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Tuesday sharpened his attack on the Election Commission over the ongoing SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise is being undertaken “without honesty” and has put citizens’ citizenship, identity and dignity at risk.

He said the questions raised by the Congress were not about electoral gains but about protecting fundamental democratic rights.

Addressing a press conference, Khera contrasted the current controversy with the last SIR held in 2002 under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, noting that no such doubts had surfaced then despite the BJP being in power.

“The controversy is happening today because Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is unable to answer basic questions,” he said.

Khera alleged that the present SIR is focused on deleting names rather than adding them, and claimed it lacks transparency.

Citing the BJP’s own protests in West Bengal — where the party has raised concerns about wrongful deletions and coercion of Booth Level Officers — he asked how the same process could be defective in Bengal but flawless in states like Bihar.

“Will Gyanesh Kumar decide who gets to vote?” he asked, stressing that the right to vote, articulated by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, is “a shield and a sword” of democracy. “If that is taken away, every citizen becomes vulnerable.”

Khera noted that several issues flagged by the Congress have already reached the Supreme Court, which intervened and asked the Election Commission to correct procedural lapses. “Many questions remain unanswered — be it in Gujarat or Bihar — and now even the BJP is asking the same questions,” he added.

Turning his attack towards the BJP government in Gujarat, Khera accused it of diverting public attention from unemployment and corruption. “Thirty years is not a short time. If people are still not getting answers, then change becomes essential.”

He further alleged that the BJP governments in both Delhi and Gujarat were “creating issues instead of solving them,” widening divisions rather than addressing citizens’ concerns.

“We did not vote for a government that manufactures controversies to entertain the public,” he said.