Chennai, 2 November (H.S.) : Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president and Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan has strongly criticised the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, terming it a targeted assault on citizenship rather than just voting rights.

Speaking to reporters after attending the all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday, the VCK leader warned that the move was a thinly veiled attempt to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) by indirect means.

Mr. Thirumavalavan stated that what appears to be a routine revision of voter lists is, in fact, a politically motivated attempt to question and weaken the citizenship of Indians. He accused the BJP-led Central government of pushing this agenda, saying, This is not about voter verification but citizenship verification.

The intention is to implement the NRC step by step, and the Election Commission has no authority to carry out such work. He praised the Chief Minister’s “swift and responsible action” in calling the meeting to oppose the controversial process.

The Chidambaram MP further stressed the need for the immediate cessation of the exercise, citing existing legal provisions which prohibit such revisions within one year of an election.

He added that given the pending SIR-related case before the Supreme Court concerning Bihar, the ECI must halt the exercise until a final decision is reached.

The VCK reiterated its strong opposition to any measure that threatens the citizenship rights of the public under the guise of an electoral update.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary