Union minister Nadda slams opposition over Election Commission SIR controversy

Union minister JP Nadda launched a broad attack on the opposition, accusing Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee of spreading falsehoods about the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls. He argued that repeating a lie does not turn it into truth and warned that the opposition’s “toolkit mentality” seeks to weaken constitutional bodies. Nadda also criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s call for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, labeling it as part of a dynastic power grab.

The Election Commission responded that all its SIR decisions were taken unanimously and that internal objections were normal procedural input. Opposition parties, including CPI, CPI(M), Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), have joined the demand for the CEC’s removal, while CPI(ML) Liberation plans a bloc meeting to discuss the issue.