Need clarity on it: TS Singh Deo on SIR in Chhattisgarh

New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS) With the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise set to be implemented in Chhattisgarh, senior Congress leader T.S. Singh Deo on Friday sought clarity on the issue.

Speaking to IANS, T.S. Singh Deo said, “From what I’ve gathered so far, the authorities have requested names for Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from political parties and have made the voter lists from the last election available. I believe they have done this for 2023, but I’m still unclear whether similar steps were taken prior to that. Based on these lists, new names have been added. But what's the difference between the names appearing on the lists dated 2023 and 2025? Where did these names come from?"

He continued, “We now have to see where this process will start. Earlier, they had set the deadline for submitting BLA names as September 23 or 24, but now they’ve extended it. They are allowing some time, which is good; they’re not rushing it. Time has been granted for submitting BLA names, and the voter list will also need to be reviewed thoroughly."

“The question now is: which list will be used as the comparative baseline? What documents need to be submitted? After which list were the names added? Who should the documents be submitted to? All this needs to be clarified. As of now, it's still unclear,” Singh Deo said.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s launching the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana in Bihar -- under which Rs 10,000 each was directly transferred to the bank accounts of 75 lakh women, totalling Rs 7,500 crore -- Singh Deo said, “This isn’t some appeasement freebie. It’s not something aimed at influencing the elections in advance. Since the model code of conduct hasn’t been implemented yet, they’ve technically avoided any violation. So yes, it’s an initiative, an effort. If nothing else seems to work, they’ve tried this. If it has a visible impact, maybe it will help them.”

“People are beginning to understand the continuity of schemes. If you have a ration card, you are entitled to foodgrains. No matter which government introduced the scheme, it isn’t going away. Over time, people have realised that benefits such as ration or financial aid are not tied to one particular government. They’ve become institutionalised. Today, whether it’s financial support in the name of women or minimum income, people believe they’ll receive it regardless of who is in power."

He added, “In fact, the minimum income proposal that Rahul Gandhi raised during the 2019 elections seems to have found acceptance across the political spectrum. Every party is now talking about it in one form or another.”

Commenting on RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav’s eldest son Tej Pratap Yadav’s announcement of his new party symbol 'Blackboard' for his recently recognised political outfit, the Janshakti Janata Dal, Singh Deo said the development is unlikely to affect the INDIA bloc’s performance in Bihar.

“It shouldn’t matter. Lalu Prasad Yadav’s goodwill still rests with him. But when it comes to actual influence and leadership, Tejashwi Yadav has served in government as the Deputy Chief Minister. If goodwill is to be transferred to anyone, it will go to Tejashwi,” he said.

“If others try to follow the same path, they will not be able to carry that goodwill with them. They haven’t had any significant political impact. Voters today are far more informed, and they won’t waste their votes. They will make a conscious decision based on who is likely to win, who is credible, and who they want to support. These new or breakaway players will likely remain on the margins. I don’t think it will affect the bloc significantly,” he told IANS.

Reacting to the US decision to impose a 100 per cent tariff on imported medicines, Singh Deo refrained from commenting directly on US President Donald Trump but shared his concern.

“It’s better if I don’t say anything about Donald Trump. He has a unique mindset. This is the reality of democracy, people with such thinking and behaviour can become presidents of major countries like the United States. The sooner his term ends, the better it will be for the world,” he said.

Singh Deo further reacted to the Union Home Ministry's cancellation of the FCRA license of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s NGO, two days after four people were killed in police firing in Leh during a violent protest for statehood. The government had claimed that Wangchuk’s “provocative statements” incited the unrest.

“The failure of the current government in managing the country’s border provinces and union territories is deeply concerning. Just look at the state of our relations with neighbouring countries -- how are things with Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Maldives? Leave aside Pakistan for a moment. What about China? Our relationship with China remains unstable.”

He continued, “If such instability begins to manifest internally, it becomes even more dangerous. Consider the situation in Manipur: the Prime Minister didn’t visit the state for two and a half years, and when he finally did, it was for just three hours. The response from the people wasn’t welcoming; there were murmurs like, ‘How can we dance when we are so sad?’ and others reflecting the same sentiment."

"Children were made to stand in lines to welcome him, yet the reception was cold. Now, images coming out of Assam are being debated -- are they fake news or an indication of genuine unrest? Whatever the case may be, the fact that people are coming out onto the streets in large numbers should be taken seriously,” Singh Deo added.

--IANS

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