Hyderabad: A day after Union home minister Amit Shah challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to a debate on SIR in Parliament, irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday said that while updating of electoral rolls was essential, the process must be accompanied by adequate safeguards to ensure that no eligible voter was wrongly excluded.Amit Shah, during his address in a meeting in the city on Monday, countered Congress allegations regarding the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls.Uttam said transparency, accessible correction mechanisms and impartial implementation were indispensable to maintaining public confidence. He observed that growing concerns over errors in electoral rolls, lack of transparency in procedures and alleged bias in the revision process warranted a transparent investigation and credible responses from the Election Commission.“The campaign led by Rahul Gandhi to protect every eligible citizen’s right to vote is a significant moment in the country’s democratic journey,” Uttam said, adding that democracy derives its strength from people’s confidence that every eligible citizen can exercise the right to vote and that every vote would be counted fairly.Referring to INDIA bloc’s mobilisation in Delhi, Uttam said Rahul had emerged as the central figure in bringing opposition parties together on the crucial issue of electoral accountability.He noted that Rahul had led thousands of INDIA bloc leaders, workers and supporters in a march towards the Supreme Court on Oct 12, protesting alleged irregularities in the EC’s SIR of electoral rolls.He also referred to the symbolic public impeachment proceeding organised by the INDIA bloc on Oct 31 against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Presided over by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, the proceeding featured a resolution moved by Mallikarjun Kharge outlining six allegations against the CEC.“This is a defining test for our democratic institutions. Raising questions about electoral processes is not an attack on democracy; it is part of the effort to strengthen it,” the minister said, urging that every eligible citizen’s vote be protected.
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