New Delhi, November 18: The Congress will hold a massive rally against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India in Ramlila Maidan in Delhi in the first week of December. This follows the completion of the nationwide signature campaign against the ‘vote-chori’ (vote theft) under which the party collected five crore signatures from across the country.

A meeting of the PCC presidents, CLP leaders, general secretaries, in-charges, secretaries and senior leaders from 12 states, where SIR process is underway, was held here today which was presided over by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. It was attended among others by the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal.

Congress president Kharge reiterated and reaffirmed the Congress party’s resolve to protect and safeguard the integrity of the electoral rolls. “The Congress Party is unequivocally committed to safeguarding the integrity of the electoral rolls”, he said, adding, “at a time when public confidence in democratic institutions is already strained, the Election Commission’s conduct during the SIR process has been deeply disappointing”.

Asking the ECI of India to show its neutrality and impartiality, the Congress president emphasised, “it must immediately demonstrate that it is not operating under the BJP’s shadow and it remembers its Constitutional oath and allegiance to the people of India, not to any ruling party”. He said, the Congress firmly believes that the BJP is attempting to weaponise the SIR process for vote-chori. “And if the EC chooses to look the other way, that failure is not just administrative — it becomes a complicity of silence”, he remarked.

Kharge said that the party workers, BLOs, and District/City/Block Presidents will remain relentlessly vigilant. “We will expose every attempt, however subtle, to delete genuine voters or insert bogus ones”, he warned, adding, “the Congress Party will not allow democratic safeguards to be eroded by partisan misuse of institutions”.

Later briefing reporters, KC Venugopal and Pawan Khera said that the party held a comprehensive strategy review with AICC General Secretaries, AICC In-Charges, PCCs, CLPs, and AICC Secretaries from the states/UTs where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process is underway.

Venugopal said the ECI was purposefully trying to delete votes of some sections of the society. “The design of the SIR is to delete targeted votes”, he said, while giving the example of Bihar. He said, the SIR was a sinister attempt by the ECI to destroy democracy in this country, which is completely unethical and undemocratic.

Questioning the hurry behind the exercise, he said, the SIR would normally take six months to a year to complete. But, he pointed out, the process is being rushed through within one month with the result that some BLOs in states like Kerala, Rajasthan and MP have committed suicide due to the work pressure.

Venugopal stated that in Kerala, the local body elections are going on and first phase of polls will be taking place on 9th December. He remarked that the state Assembly has passed a resolution to postpone the SIR exercise, and the Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala has also made a request to the Election Commission of India to postpone SIR, but the EC is not paying any heed.

Announcing that the Congress will hold a massive rally in Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi in the first week of December, he said, the party will fight against the ECI’s attempt to destroy democracy. He said, the party has already collected five crore signatures against vote-chori from across the country.

Pawan Khera said during today’s meeting, there was a unanimous voice against the politicisation of the ECI. “What happened in Bihar is now being tried everywhere in India”, he said, adding, “everyone in the meeting agreed that the SIR is for deleting votes, not for adding names.”