Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday issued a warning to the Union government and the Election Commission, accusing them of using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to quietly erase voters from “disadvantaged and dissenting communities,” ostensibly to tilt electoral outcomes in favour of the BJP. “This is not about reform. It is about engineering outcomes,” Stalin said in a statement. “What happened in Bihar says it all: the Delhi regime knows the same electorate that once voted for it will now vote it out. That is why it is trying to stop them from voting altogether.” His remarks come amid the SIR exercise, which was launched in Bihar in June 2025. The revision is aimed at cleansing the rolls of ineligible, deceased, duplicate or relocated voters. But opposition leaders and civil society groups have warned that the scale and timing of the process could lead to mass disenfranchisement. “Don’t play with fire,” Stalin said, declaring that “any threat to our democracy will be met with firm resistance.” He said Tamil Nadu will raise its voice “with full force” and vowed to fight this “injustice with every democratic weapon at our disposal.” The CM’s statement framed the SIR not as an administrative necessity but as a political tool deployed by the ruling BJP. “If you cannot defeat us, you seek to delete us,” he said. “To every citizen who believes in the Constitution,” Stalin said, “this is not just about one state, this is about the very foundation of our Republic. Democracy belongs to the people. It will not be stolen.” His comments come at a time when the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have seen disruptions over the SIR, with slogans of “SIR wapas lo (roll back SIR)” and repeated adjournments. The Bihar assembly has also seen a stormy session over the exercise.
