Kolkata: BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari on Monday claimed that Indian Muslims were supporting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He claimed that the voter list revision process is only intended against illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants, according to a PTI report.
"SIR is like carbolic acid, driving out 'jihadi' snakes from their burrows. Those living here illegally with TMC support, please leave at once, we won't stop you," he said.
Targeting the TMC, the Nandigram MLA said, "All those terrorising voters in South 24 Parganas, it is time to mend your ways. Otherwise, you will face the wrath of the people."
He also claimed that neither he nor his party, the BJP, has been against Muslims, whom the ruling TMC "use as a vote bank".
Addressing a rally in South 24 Parganas district's Mandirbazar as part of the BJP's 'Parivartan Yatra', Adhikari alleged that TMC indulges in communal politics, pitting one religion against another.
"The TMC has built a false narrative and created a perception that the BJP is anti-Muslim. We only advocate for the inclusive growth of all communities. We have never treated Muslims as a vote bank. Take note about the slew of development measures taken for Muslims in BJP-ruled states and in the country," he said.
Meanwhile, Booth-level officers (BLOs) engaged in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in West Bengal scuffled with police personnel on Monday while attempting to enter the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) here, protesting against alleged excessive work pressure, a senior official said.
Members of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee held a procession from College Square in north Kolkata, carrying locks and fetters to symbolically seal the main entrance of the building housing the CEO’s office. The demonstrators tried to breach police barricades in central Kolkata, the official added.