MDMK adopts resolution against SIR, terms it unconstitutional

CHENNAI: The Administrative Committee meeting of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) on Friday condemned the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called the exercise unconstitutional.

Held under the stewardship of party general secretary Vaiko and principal secretary Durai Vaiko, the committee passed a resolution condemning the exercise being carried out in ten states and two Union Territories.

The ruling DMK's ally charged that the hurried revision of electoral rolls—carried out during the monsoon season—was designed to deny voting rights to genuine voters, as seen earlier in Bihar. The resolution also criticised the alleged attempt to link voter verification with citizenship determination under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), calling it an unconstitutional, politically motivated move aimed at benefiting the BJP.

The party described the move as an "anti-democratic conspiracy" by the Election Commission under the influence of the Union government and urged all democratic parties to resist it.

Another resolution stated that conducting the SIR exercise just months before elections would deprive voters of their rights. It urged MDMK cadre to join the INDIA bloc's statewide protest on the issue scheduled on November 11.

The committee also opposed the draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) released for conducting public meetings, which mandate hefty deposits and multiple permissions for violations. The committee termed such conditions a threat to democracy.

Running from pillar to post to obtain approval from various authorities, including the National Highways Authority, the State Highways Department, and local bodies, to conduct road rallies would lead to unnecessary delays and amount to a denial of the fundamental democratic rights of political parties, it said. It could also create a situation in which those in positions of authority control political parties' activities, the resolution read.