All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday lashed out at the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, accusing the poll panel of trying to go beyond its constitutional mandate.
He said the poll panel does not have a right to determine citizenship and said he had termed SIR as "NRC through back door".
"It is unfortunate that a constitutional body is not making a statement, and things are being revealed through sources. Who are these sources? Who gave the ECI the power to determine whether someone is a citizen or not? Our party was the first to say that SIR is NRC through the back door," Owaisi said.
He said the party members will be asked to meet BLOs (block level officers).
"SIR was conducted in 2003. How many foreign nationals were revealed at that time?" he asked.
"They (ECI) do not have the right (to determine citizenship)... The Home Ministry, SP Border have the right... Why are they doing this if they don't have the right... This is why I said that this is back door NRC... There are elections in Bihar in November. Why do they want to make the people of Seemanchal powerless...?," he added.
Supreme Court on July 10 allowed ECI to continue Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls while advising them to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards as admissible documents to prove voter identity.
{{/usCountry}}Supreme Court on July 10 allowed ECI to continue Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls while advising them to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards as admissible documents to prove voter identity.
{{/usCountry}}The decision of SIR comes ahead of Bihar elections, which are expected to be held later this year.
While the NDA, consisting of the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, will strive for another mandate in Bihar, the INDIA bloc, consisting of the RJD, Congress, and left parties, will be looking to oust Nitish Kumar government.
Jan Suraaj Party is also making efforts win a mandate in the state.
With 11 more days left for the last date of submission of the filled Enumeration Forms (EFs) in the ongoing Bihar SIR, Election Commission on Monday said that EFs of 6,60,67,208 or 83.66% elected have been collected after two rounds of door-to-door visits by the BLOs.