‘Imposed Oppression’: Congress On SIR After Death Of Booth-Level Officers

New Delhi: In a fresh attack on BJP over special intensive revision (SIR), the Congress on Sunday termed the exercise an “imposed oppression” and a “deliberate ploy under which citizens are being harassed.” This comes after the death of some booth-level officers (BLOs) engaged in the SIR of electoral rolls in various states.

The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that chaos had been “created” across the country in the name of the SIR. He said that the situation led to deaths of BLOs, but they are being ignored as “collateral damage”.

“The result? Sixteen BLOs have lost their lives in three weeks. Heart attacks, stress, suicide -- SIR is not a reform; it is an imposed oppression,” he posted on X in Hindi. “ “This is not a failure; it is a conspiracy. Democracy is being sacrificed to protect power.”

Rahul further said that under the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) new system citizens have to sift through thousands of scanned pages of 22-year-old voter lists to find their names. “The objective is clear: to tire out genuine voters and allow voter fraud to continue unabated,” he alleged.

“If the intentions were clear, the list would be digital, searchable, and machine-readable, and the ECI would have taken its time to focus on transparency and accountability instead of rushing through the work in a 30-day hurry,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha claimed.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also slammed the BJP over the alleged “hasty” implementation of the SIR, comparing it with demonetisation and the COVID-19 lockdown.

Sharing a media report about the deaths of 16 BLOs during the SIR of the electoral rolls, Kharge said the BJP's “vote chori” has now taken a deadly turn. He claimed that the workload was forcing BLOs and polling officers to commit suicide.

“My deepest condolences to every family who has lost a loved one. Based on ground reality, this number is far higher than reported, which is extremely worrying. Who will provide justice to these families?” Kharge posed in his X post in Hindi.

“The BJP is busy enjoying the fruits of stolen power, while the Election Commission is watching as a mute spectator. The hasty, unplanned, forced implementation of SIR is reminiscent of demonetisation and the COVID-19 lockdown,” he alleged.

Kharge accused the BJP of forcing the officials to suicide. “Enough is enough! If we still don't wake up, no one can save the last pillars of democracy from collapsing. Those who remain silent on SIR and vote theft are responsible for the deaths of these innocent BLOs. Raise your voice, save democracy!” he said.

A woman working as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal's Nadia district was found dead at her residence on Saturday. Her family claimed that she was under SIR work-related stress and died by suicide. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock over the BLO's death and said this has become "truly alarming now". In a ‘suicide note’ shared by the chief minister on social media, the woman held the ECI responsible. Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha, however, claimed that the suicide note was 'fake'.

Also, two teachers who worked as BLOs for the SIR exercise died of “illness” in the Raisen and Damoh districts of Madhya Pradesh on Friday.

Also Read

1. BLO Found Dead In Bengal's Nadia, Family Claims SIR Work-Related Stress
2. Congress Sets Up System To Monitor SIR, Deploys Workers To Help Voters In States