Chandigarh, February 22: In a pointed critique, Congress MP Manish Tewari has challenged the Election Commission’s authority to conduct Special Intensive Revision (SIR) at the state level, calling it legally unfounded. Speaking exclusively to IANS, Tewari questioned the transparency of the process and accused it of targeting voters selectively.
Tewari emphasized that no constitutional provision grants the poll body such powers at the provincial level. ‘I raised this in Parliament too,’ he said. ‘We need a clear legal ruling on whether the EC can order SIR nationwide or just selectively.’ He pointed to reports from various states where SIR exercises lacked transparency, with votes allegedly being deleted to favor certain parties.
Drawing parallels to West Bengal, Tewari highlighted how Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to approach the Supreme Court for relief. ‘This erodes trust in the EC,’ he asserted, underscoring the opposition’s growing skepticism.
Shifting gears to international trade, Tewari criticized the government’s trade policies amid US President Trump’s proposed 15% global tariffs. ‘India has zeroed tariffs on 70 items for the US, but we’ll face 15% duties there. What kind of deal is this?’ he asked, demanding accountability from the Center.
Meanwhile, Bihar Minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal hit back at Congress, claiming even senior leaders are distancing from Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. ‘They call themselves Nehruvians or Indira loyalists, but not Gandhian in Rahul’s mold,’ he said, labeling Gandhi’s ideology as anti-national.