CPM demands a halt to SIR process in AP

Vijayawada: CPM demanded an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh. The state secretariat, which met here on Monday under the chairmanship of state secretariat member K Lokanatham, passed a resolution to this effect.

Party state secretary V Srinivasa Rao released the resolutions to the media. In its resolution, the CPM termed the implementation of the SIR as “dangerous to the parliamentary democratic system”, alleging that it could undermine the integrity of the electoral process. The party urged the state government to take proactive steps to halt the implementation of SIR and called upon the state chief electoral officer to convene a meeting of all political parties to discuss the issue.

The CPM noted that though 12 states and Union Territories have been listed for SIR implementation, however, Andhra Pradesh was not included in the Central Election Commission’s order, and hence the move in the state was unwarranted.

The party recalled that the amendment had drawn widespread objections in Bihar and other states, even attracting Supreme Court intervention, yet concerns were ignored by the Election Commission.

Accusing the BJP-led Central government of attempting to indirectly enforce the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through the SIR process, the CPM demanded that both TDP and YSRCP clarify their positions on the issue.

Appealing to democratic forces, intellectuals and citizens, the CPM urged united opposition to the SIR, reiterating its call for the immediate withdrawal of the amendment’s implementation in the state.