Hyderabad: Actor and activist Prakash Raj on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, declaring that while the ritual immersion of Ganesha idols has concluded across the country, the symbolic “visarjan” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is still pending.
Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad after a 10-day tour of several districts, Raj alleged that the SIR exercise — initially pitched as a cleanup drive — has effectively become a mechanism for deleting voters rather than refining lists.
He pointed to media reports indicating that approximately 38 lakh appeals filed by voters struck off the rolls are awaiting disposal before tribunals in West Bengal, a backlog that could take a decade or more to clear.
“Ganesh visarjan is over in Karnataka, Andhra and entire India. Now, Gyanesh Kumar visarjan remains,” he said.
‘Not Inclusive’
Raj said the SIR process was presented as a corrective measure but has instead excluded legitimate voters. He recounted meeting residents who claimed their names were removed merely because they were absent when a Booth Level Officer (BLO) called at their residence. Migrant daily wage labourers, he noted, were among those disproportionately affected, as reported by The New Indian Express.
“Elections are not numbers but citizens of the country who are alive,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who regularly addresses the nation through ‘Mann ki Baat’, had not sufficiently explained the SIR exercise beforehand. “Our demand is that SIR has to be stalled and scrapped,” Raj said.
BJP Terms Remarks ‘Disrespectful’
Telangana BJP chief spokesperson NV Subhash hit back at Raj, describing his comments as an “insult” to the Chief Election Commissioner, who leads a Constitutional institution.
“He (Prakash Raj) may be entitled to criticise the Election Commission, but comparing the CEC to an idol immersion crosses the line from political criticism to disrespect for a Constitutional institution. Democracy demands debate, not derision,” Subhash said in a statement.
Subhash urged the actor to present facts and evidence before the appropriate authorities instead of relying on “provocative street rhetoric”.
Meanwhile, the Telangana People’s Front, Cockroach Janta Party and other groups staged a protest here on Saturday calling for the CEC’s resignation, the scrapping of the SIR exercise and the repeal of the CEC Act 2023.
Demonstrators held placards bearing slogans such as “Gyanesh, It’s Done Bro!”, “Gyanesh Kumar Must Resign” and “Save Democracy”.