Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, MoS in the PMO, and MoS for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, and Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, criticised the Opposition for creating confusion over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In a free-wheeling interview with Rajesh Kumar Thakur, he accused them of misleading the public out of fear of losing ineligible votes. Excerpts:Opposition is united against SIR being carried out in poll-bound Bihar, accusing your government of using it to drop voters from other parties. What do you have to say? These are untrue and baseless allegations made by the Opposition out of fear and frustration over losing the support of undeserving voters. The SIR, which is now being carried out successfully in Bihar, is not intended to remove people from voting lists but to ensure that voting rights are upheld for genuine voters. The Opposition currently has no agenda other than opposing initiatives that are in the larger interest of the nation or individual states.Will voter names’ removal under SIR hurt NDA’s poll chances in Bihar?Absolutely not. It is not designed to prevent anyone from exercising their voting rights but to ensure that only genuine voters participate. The people of Bihar are highly aware and understand the benefits of such an exercise, and they will not be misled by the Opposition. The NDA will not face any negative electoral consequences; in fact, it is the Opposition—which has been exploiting the inclusion of ineligible voters without proper documentation—that is alarmed by SIR.
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