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ISLAMABAD: India&rsquo;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has publicly rebuked several opposition leaders through an Islamophobic &ldquo;movie poster&rdquo; shared on X, accusing them of being sympathetic to Muslims and &ldquo;intruders.&rdquo; The mock poster, posted by the official BJP Delhi account, features India&rsquo;s Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Aam Aadmi Party founder and national convener Arvind Kejriwal, and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav wearing Muslim skullcaps.&nbsp; The image is titled &ldquo;Ghuspaithiyon Ke Bhaijaan&rdquo; and includes the captions &ldquo;Directed by: Rahul Gandhi,&rdquo; &ldquo;Produced by: Mamata Banerjee,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Supporting Role: Arvind Kejriwal.&rdquo; It was shared alongside the message: &ldquo;The most trouble from SIR is faced by these sympathizers of the intruders.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1995374749728522248&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=6bc66bbe3b23caf8095de451d9a26e689bb3eb87&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 754px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>The post comes amid growing criticism from opposition parties over the Election Commission of India (ECI)&#39;s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters&rsquo; list. Rahul Gandhi, in a statement on X, had earlier questioned why the BJP had raised no objections to the revision process. &ldquo;Why doesn&#39;t BJP have any complaints against SIR? Haven&#39;t the names of their voters been deleted?&rdquo; he wrote.&nbsp; &ldquo;So far in this journey, I&#39;ve met thousands of such people whose names have been removed from the voter list in SIR &mdash; mostly poor, Dalits, backward classes, minorities, farmers, and laborers.&rdquo; Gandhi further alleged that &ldquo;It&#39;s absolutely clear &mdash; EC and BJP are working together to erase the opposition&#39;s votes.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1959530288192905270&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=6bc66bbe3b23caf8095de451d9a26e689bb3eb87&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 696px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>According to Indian media, the second phase of SIR is being implemented across 12 states and territories, including Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. Earlier this year, a similar revision took place in Bihar ahead of its November 6 state elections. The process resulted in the removal of approximately 6.5 million names, which the ECI stated was necessary to prevent the inclusion of &ldquo;foreign illegal immigrants,&rdquo; according to AFP.

India

India’s BJP shared an Islamophobic mock ‘movie poster’ depicting opposition leaders in skullcaps, accusing them of aiding 'intruders,' amid disputes over a voter-list revision that Rahul Gandhi says disproportionately remove poor and minority opposition voters.

India’s ruling BJP posts Islamophobic ‘movie poster’ targeting opposition

ISLAMABAD: Indian opposition political party Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party of &ldquo;weaponizing&rdquo; the voter registration revision process for electoral manipulation, warning that the Election Commission risks complicity if it fails to act. On Tuesday, Indian National Congress (INC) President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Indian Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, chaired a meeting of senior leaders from 12 states where the Election Commission of India (ECI) is conducting a voter registration overhaul. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1990692865866105102&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=6ff02b88a5394979bd64d6cade5b95c734273f9d&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 696px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>According to an Indian media report, the second phase of the voter registration overhaul, called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), is being carried out in 12 states and territories, including Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. Of these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal are headed for assembly elections in 2026, it states. Exclusion of over 6 million namesEarlier this year, the ECI conducted a similar revision in the eastern state of Bihar, home to more than 130 million people, ahead of its state elections that were held from Nov. 6. The process led to the exclusion of around 6.5 million names, which the ECI said was necessary to prevent the inclusion of &quot;foreign illegal immigrants.&quot; India launched the second phase of the SIR on Nov. 4, expanding a contentious exercise that activists warn could fuel disenfranchisement in the world&#39;s largest democracy, according to an AFP report. &lsquo;Disenfranchise vulnerable populations&rsquo;&nbsp;Opposition parties, including the Congress and regional stalwarts, such as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, have earlier decried the exercise as tantamount to the National Register of Citizens process, according to an Indian media report published before the recent Bihar polls. They had warned that asking for extensive proof of birth and parentage, especially mere months before an election, could disenfranchise the state&rsquo;s most vulnerable populations, the report said. Supreme Court approached &nbsp;The Indian Union Muslim League has approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the ongoing SIR of the voters&rsquo; list in Kerala ahead of the local body elections, Indian media reported on Tuesday. Moreover, political leaders from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have also challenged the SIR of electoral rolls in their respective states in the Indian Supreme Court, according to Indian media. Official version&nbsp;According to the state-run, Press Information Bureau, &quot;the objective of an intensified revision is to ensure that the names of all eligible citizens are included in the Electoral Roll so as to enable them to exercise their franchise, no ineligible voter is included in the electoral rolls and also to introduce complete transparency in the process of addition or deletion of electors in the electoral rolls.&quot; &lsquo;Comprehensive strategy review&rsquo;&nbsp;The INC President, Kharge, after the meeting in a post on X, on Tuesday, wrote: &ldquo;We held a comprehensive strategy review with AICC General Secretaries, AICC In-Charges, PCCs, CLPs, and AICC Secretaries from the states/UTs where the SIR process is underway.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1990691766501323088&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=6ff02b88a5394979bd64d6cade5b95c734273f9d&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;The Congress Party is unequivocally committed to safeguarding the integrity of the electoral rolls,&rdquo; he said. Regarding the role of the Election Commission of India, &ldquo;at a time when public confidence in democratic institutions is already strained, the Election Commission&rsquo;s conduct during the SIR process has been deeply disappointing.&quot; &ldquo;It must immediately demonstrate that it is not operating under the BJP&rsquo;s shadow and it remembers its Constitutional oath and allegiance to the people of India, not to any ruling party,&rdquo; Kharge wrote. Hitting out at the ruling BJP, the INC president said: &ldquo;We firmly believe that the BJP is attempting to weaponise the SIR process for Vote Chori [theft]&rdquo;, adding, &ldquo;And if the EC chooses to look the other way, that failure is not just administrative -- it becomes a complicity of silence.&rdquo; &ldquo;The Congress Party will not allow Democratic safeguards to be eroded by partisan misuse of institutions,&rdquo; he added.

The opposition party has accused the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party of weaponizing the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists for electoral manipulation, warning the Election Commission against complicity as party leaders reviewed safeguards across 12 states undergoing the revision.

Articles tagged with "Special Intensive Revision"

India’s ruling BJP posts Islamophobic ‘movie poster’ targeting opposition

Indian Congress alleges BJP ‘weaponizing’ voter-list revision for ‘vote theft’