SIR not reform but imposed oppression: Cong after death of some booth-level officers

New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) The Congress on Sunday targeted the BJP over the death of some booth-level officers engaged in the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in various states, terming the exercise an "imposed oppression" and a "deliberate ploy under which citizens are being harassed".

The deaths of booth-level officers (BLOs) due to unnecessary pressure are being ignored as "collateral damage", the opposition party alleged.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that chaos has been "created" across the country in the name of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

"The result? Sixteen BLOs have lost their lives in three weeks. Heart attacks, stress, suicide -- SIR is not a reform, it is an imposed oppression," he said in a post in Hindi on X.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha further said the Election Commission of India has created a system where citizens have to sift through thousands of scanned pages of 22-year-old voter lists to find their names.

"The objective is clear: to tire out genuine voters and allow voter fraud to continue unabated," he alleged.

India develops cutting-edge software for the world, but the Election Commission of India is still adamant on creating a jungle of paperwork, Gandhi said.

"If the intentions were clear, the list would be digital, searchable, and machine-readable, and the ECI would have taken its time to focus on transparency and accountability instead of rushing through the work in a 30-day hurry," the former Congress chief claimed.

"SIR is a deliberate ploy under which citizens are being harassed and deaths of BLOs due to unnecessary pressure are being ignored as 'collateral damage'," Gandhi said, adding, "This is not a failure, it is a conspiracy; democracy is being sacrificed to protect power." Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also slammed the BJP over the issue and claimed the "hasty" implementation of the SIR exercise is reminiscent of demonetisation and the COVID-19 lockdown.

He said the BJP's "vote chori" has now taken a deadly turn.

On X, Kharge shared a media report which claimed that in 19 days, there have been deaths of 16 BLOs during the SIR of the electoral rolls. The workload is forcing BLOs and polling officers to commit suicide, the Congress chief claimed.

"My deepest condolences to every family who has lost a loved one. Based on ground reality, this number is far higher than reported, which is extremely worrying. Who will provide justice to these families?" Kharge posed in his X post in Hindi.

"The BJP is busy enjoying the fruits of stolen power, while the Election Commission is watching as a mute spectator. The hasty, unplanned, forced implementation of SIR is reminiscent of demonetization and the COVID-19 lockdown," he charged.

The BJP's hunger for power is driving institutions to force suicides, shredding the Constitution, and weakening democracy through misuse of power, he alleged.

"Enough is enough! If we still don't wake up, no one can save the last pillars of democracy from collapsing. Those who remain silent on SIR and vote theft are responsible for the deaths of these innocent BLOs. Raise your voice, save democracy!" Kharge said.

A woman working as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in West Bengal's Nadia district was found hanging at her residence on Saturday, with her family members claiming that she was under considerable SIR work-related stress and died by suicide, police said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock over the BLO's death and said this has become "truly alarming now".

In a "suicide note" shared by the chief minister on social media, the woman held the ECI responsible.

Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha, however, claimed that the suicide note was 'fake'.

Also, two teachers who worked as BLOs for the SIR exercise died of "illness" in Raisen and Damoh districts of Madhya Pradesh on Friday. PTI ASK NSD NSD