Hindu refugees from Bangladesh will be most affected by SIR in West Bengal: CPI(M) leader

Senior CPI(M) leader Kanti Ganguly claimed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will most affect the Hindus who have settled in West Bengal after fleeing Bangladesh.

Also Read | Protest continues in Bengal against lynching in Bangladesh

The former Minister, who has been called for a document verification hearing on Friday (January 2, 2025), said he was in favour of the exercise, but it should have been carried out over a longer period, instead of just two-three months.

“I am in favour of the SIR. But this is a huge and quite challenging task. To make it more foolproof and precise, more time should have been allocated. India is a huge nation with a mammoth population, so for better revision of the electoral rolls, more time should have been given,” he told PTI.

Mr. Ganguly, 82, has served as the Minister of the Sundarbans Development Department from 2001 to 2011, and then briefly as the Sports and Youth Welfare minister from 2009 to 2011.

“I am from the Sundarbans region. There is a large Hindu population that has come from Bangladesh and is now living here. In this exercise, they would be the most affected,” he claimed.

Ms. Ganguly said the Election Commission should have chalked out proper guidelines for the exercise so that voters were not confused and “wrong speculations and unfounded theories” were not widely circulated.

“The EC should have made better preparations and set up elaborate guidelines for the SIR. This could have prevented the various wrong speculations among common voters about the process,” he said.

He said the parties with a strong organisational setup will benefit the most from the exercise.

“The SIR will benefit political parties with strong organisational structures. That will make the difference in the forthcoming assembly elections. But I do not think the Communists will benefit from it. At the moment, the common people are yet to place their trust in them,” he said.

“Until the Communists regain the confidence of the people, they will not perform well in elections. The SIR will not make much difference for them,” he added.

On the Opposition to the exercise, Mr. Ganguly said protesting is a democratic right, but the protesters should point out “specific drawbacks” of the exercise.

“Protest should not be for the sake of protesting. The opposition parties objecting to the SIR should highlight the problems common voters are facing due to the revision. They must clearly state why they are protesting,” he said.

The CPI(M) leader said the EC should not buckle under pressure from opposition parties, must remain neutral and complete the exercise with precision.

Mr. Ganguly said he was surprised to be called for the hearing as his name was in the electoral rolls of 2002, when he was a minister.

He said he would appear for the verification hearing on Friday and provide all relevant information to the ECI.