DMK, alliance parties stage demonstration against SIR in Salem

The DMK and other parties in the INDIA alliance staged a protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls at Fort Maidan here on Tuesday.

As part of the State-wide protest, the DMK and its allies participated in the protest and raised slogans against the SIR and Election Commission of India.

At the protest, Salem MP T.M. Selvaganapathi said that the SIR is a danger for Indian democracy. Voting rights are the base for Indian democracy. Allegedly unable to confront the DMK directly, the BJP introduced the SIR. After the SIR was announced, 6.36 crore voters lost their voting rights, and only after registration, the voter will get voting rights again. The forms of SIR are not understandable for a common man. How it could be completed in one month. The anganwadi centre workers and VAO assistants are involved in the SIR works and how they could complete the works in one month, he questioned.

Alleging that the Election Commission is under the control of the BJP, the MP said when DMK MPs met the Chief Election Commissioner, he refused to accept the Aadhaar card as one of the proofs. So DMK moved Supreme Court and now the court has ordered the EC to accept the Aadhaar card as proof, the MP added.

Rajya Sabha member S.R. Sivalingam said that Tamil Nadu has a history of people sacrificing their lives for language. Tamil people understand the danger of SIR. Except AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, everyone else realise the danger of SIR. Through SIR, 68 lakh voters were removed from voter lists in Bihar and 21 lakh new voters who came to Bihar from other States are allegedly included. This tactic will not work in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Sivalingam added.

In the protest, cadres of DMK, Congress, CPI, CPI (M), MDMK, VCK, and IUML participated.