West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appeared in the Supreme Court today to plead in a hearing of a case on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which is being conducted by the Election Commission in West Bengal.
While the Election Commission has continuously said that the sole target of the exercise is to cleanse the electoral rolls of dead and dubious voters, Mamata Banerjee and her party have countered the argument by pointing out the hasty implementation of the exercise, which has led to widespread harassment of the general populace.
In a conversation with News Ei Samay, BJP leader and former Member of Parliament Arjun Singh reacted to Mamata Banerjee's arguments in the Supreme Court, and spoke on the effects the SIR exercise will have on West Bengal's demography.
Also Read | CM Mamata Banerjee challenges voter roll revision in SC: Key demands explained
'She is using the public forum'
On CM Mamata Banerjee arguing the SIR issue in the Supreme Court herself, Arjun Singh retorted, "Mamata Banerjee knows very well that the SIR exercise is being conducted under the provisions of the Constitution. She is only using the public forum."
He added, "She had said that she won't accept the SIR exercise, yet had filled out the forms." Singh highlighted that the West Bengal Chief Minister had similarly opposed the implementation of the CAA and Waqf Amendment Acts, both of which have been enacted in the state.
Also Read | Mamata Banerjee slams ECI, calls it ‘WhatsApp Commission’ over voter deletions in Bengal
'1.5 crore fake voters will be eliminated'
When asked about the effect that he thinks the SIR exercise will have on the West Bengal assembly elections, Arjun Singh said, "After the completion of the exercise, 24 lakh deceased voters have been omitted from the rolls."
"When 'One Nation, One Ration Card' was rolled out, 1.5 crore ration cards were declared invalid. This is the base of the SIR exercise in West Bengal. In this exercise, the names of 1.5 crore fake voters will be eliminated from the list," he concluded.
