Sri Vijaya Puram, October 30: An Intellectual Dialogue Meet was organised today at 10:00 AM at Hotel Lemon Tree, Lamba Line. College students, advocates, retired teachers, retired government officials and members of ACCI, among others, participated in the meet. The meet was organised to counter the false narrative being spread by a section of the political dispensation on SIR, EVMs, the alleged ‘Vote Chori’ and other issues.
Mr. Anil Kumar Tiwari, State President, BJP, A&N Islands, was the Chief Guest at the meet.
Delivering his presidential address, he spoke on the historical facts of General Elections held in the past. He questioned why opposition leaders, particularly Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, expressed concern over millions of entries missing or questioned in electoral rolls, accusing the opposition of trying to protect infiltrators or rely on non-citizens for politics.
“The Congress appears to be turning the SIR issue into another political spectacle, because it has little substantive evidence to challenge the electoral revision process. If the party has genuine concerns about voter lists, electoral irregularities or the functioning of the Election Commission, why not put its arguments on the table and debate them in Parliament? Instead, it is choosing rallies, street protests and political theatrics to build a narrative against democratic institutions,” he added.
“Creating a ruckus on the streets cannot replace facts, evidence or parliamentary debate. Is the Congress seeking to turn India into another Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Nepal, where political unrest has led to major upheavals?” Mr. Tiwari questioned.
Mr. Tiwari said that when the people elect the Congress, it is happy and there are no complaints. However, when the people reject it, the party claims that ‘democracy is in danger’. When it wins elections in Tamil Nadu, everything is fine. When it wins elections in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka or Kerala after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), it considers the outcome excellent. But when it loses elections in Bengal, it claims that democracy is under threat.
Mr. K. Ramdas, State Vice President and Convenor of the Intellectual Dialogue Meet, also spoke on the occasion. He said that India is a constitutional democracy with strong institutions, an established electoral process and a public that cannot be taken for granted. He further added that SIR is a special drive during which officers check and update the names of voters in every area. SIR keeps the voter list fresh and accurate, he said.
Mr. S.P. Ellango, State Media Convenor, made an elaborate presentation on SIR and electoral processes. He also responded to the questions raised by youth and students.
Mr. K. Chandrashekar, President, ACCI, presented an independent opinion on SIR as an apolitical observer of the process.
Mr. Som Naidu, Retired DANICS, who was associated with election work, presented his views on SIR and electoral procedures.
