BJP Calls Opposition's Letter to CJI 'Bad Precedent' on Voter List Issue

Opposition parties, including the Congress, recently wrote to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) expressing concerns over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In response, State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao criticised the move, calling it a 'bad precedent' and suggesting that a writ petition would have been more appropriate.

'It is not appropriate to drag the CJI into the issue through a letter. A common person who cannot afford court fees may write a letter that could be treated as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), but it is surprising that senior lawyers, including Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi, are involved in this,' Rao said during an informal interaction with the media at the party's State office on Wednesday.

Rao asserted that the SIR exercise is not advantageous to the BJP. 'Booth Level Officers are State government employees. Questioning them amounts to a lack of confidence in one's own administration,' he said, adding that several judicial rulings allow citizens to establish their citizenship through various documents.

He appealed to residents of Hyderabad and the rest of Telangana to actively participate in the SIR process by submitting copies of any of the 12 approved documents, including Aadhaar and passport. However, he acknowledged concerns over the 'grey area' of individuals possessing multiple identity cards but lacking a single definitive proof of citizenship.

The BJP leader maintained that documents such as passports and Aadhaar cards are issued only after due verification and can therefore be used in the SIR exercise. He also noted that governments have not yet introduced a universal identity card, similar to social security systems in the United States or Europe, to conclusively establish citizenship. Even non-citizens can obtain Indian passports in certain circumstances, he said.

Rao explained that the SIR is aimed solely at removing duplicate, fake, and deceased voters, as well as preventing multiple voting. Citing West Bengal as an example, he said 28 lakh voters were barred while their cases were under Supreme Court review, and around 91 lakh names were removed without controversy. 'Cleaning voter lists has contributed to higher voter turnout,' he claimed.

He described the recent three-day visit of national leader Nitin Nabin as 'successful,' stating that his experience in helping the BJP gain power in Chhattisgarh and Sikkim would aid the party's growth in Telangana. Reflecting on his first year as State president, Rao termed it 'exciting and challenging,' highlighting his outreach across districts and efforts to connect with party workers while criticising the State government.

Rao also criticised Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, accusing him of making 'disparaging' remarks about the BJP president 'out of political arrogance.' 'He will soon be shown the exit door by people as his behaviour is akin to BRS leaders when in power,' he added.