Opposition unnecessarily raising SIR due to dwindling popularity: Chirag Paswan

Noida: Union minister Chirag Paswan on Friday alleged that the opposition is unnecessarily raising the issue of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls as its popularity is declining, and claimed that there is growing public anger against the opposition parties.

The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader, who holds the food processing industries portfolio, was in Greater Noida to attend a three-day food and beverages exhibition at the India Expo Centre.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Paswan said the opposition raised a similar uproar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar last year, but the (NDA’s) “historic victory” showed that the public rejects parties that fail to address issues relevant to people.

He alleged that the opposition repeatedly resorted to inappropriate language and personal attacks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including slogans such as “Chowkidar Chor Hai” and allegations of “vote theft”, which, he claimed, only harmed their own credibility.

“Whenever the opposition raises questions over SIR, the people of the country understand that they are afraid of losing their seats and are already preparing excuses,” Paswan said.

He also said the SIR exercise is not being conducted for the first time and that the same process had been followed earlier as well.

“The only change this time is the use of technology. Earlier, the process was not online, but now an online system has been introduced,” Paswan said.

The minister said similar exercises were undertaken before, including during census-related reforms, and reiterated that repeatedly questioning SIR reflects the opposition's anticipation of electoral defeat.