‘Opp’s objections to SIR part of conspiracy to seize power in India through infiltrators’

New Delhi, Nov 24: The BJP on Monday slammed the TMC and the Congress over their objections to the ongoing Special Intensive Review (SIR) of the electoral rolls, accusing them of being part of a “conspiracy” to seize power in India through infiltrators.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the SIR exercise in West Bengal and other states is necessary to ensure that nobody succeeds in capturing power in India or in any of its states through “videshi ghuspaithiya (infiltrators)”.
He accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of making “baseless” allegations against the Election Commission and spreading “misinformation” to win polls.
“The kind of condemnable efforts being made by some of the constituents of the ‘INDI gathbandhan’ in states against the move to ensure that an impartial and transparent election is held is a matter of grave concern,” Trivedi said.
“Somewhere or the other, these political parties appear to be supporting the ongoing conspiracy to seize power through ‘guspaithiye sandigdh’ (suspected infiltrators) voters by disrupting and influencing the constitutional process” of cleaning voter lists in the states, he added.
Citing media reports, the BJP leader said Irfan Ansari, a cabinet minister in Jharkhand, has openly exhorted people to lock up block level officers (BLO) if they come seeking information from them, and asked the opposition INDIA bloc if the Congress leader’s “condemnable” call did not amount to “taking democracy hostage”.
“Whether the Constitution is under threat or not when such threats are passed?” he asked the Congress.
Citing another media report, Trivedi said that Jameer-ul-Islam Mulla, a TMC worker in West Bengal, is alleged to have threatened a BLO over the phone.
Such situations are emerging because Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is levelling baseless allegations against the SIR and the West Bengal chief minister is “indirectly giving provocative speeches” on the voter roll revision, he charged.
Taking on Banerjee, the BJP leader reminded the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo how firmly she raised the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration in West Bengal in Parliament in August, 2005, citing concerns about rigging of elections and threw a file at the then Lok Sabha Speaker because a discussion on the issue was not being allowed in the House. “She is negating her own stand today,” he charged, slamming the TMC supremo over her stance against the SIR drive in West Bengal. (PTI)