CPI (ML) Liberation Slams PM Modi’s ‘Infiltrator’ Claim, Questions Bihar SIR
Bhattacharya refutes PM Modi’s illegal immigration narrative, warns of social division.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya on Saturday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day remarks on “infiltrators,” asserting that no foreign nationals have been identified in Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. Speaking at a Delhi press conference ahead of the Mahagathbandhan’s Vote Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, Bhattacharya accused the BJP-RSS of pushing an “anti-immigrant agenda” that risks deepening social divisions.
Modi, in his August 15 speech from the Red Fort, announced a high-powered demographic mission to address illegal infiltration, a claim Bhattacharya dismissed as “unsubstantiated.” He noted that of the 65 lakh voters removed in the SIR’s first phase, none were flagged as foreign nationals by the Election Commission. “The theme of Independence Day is being reduced to partition,” he said, alleging the government seeks to “complete the incomplete agenda of partition” by stoking fears of demographic change, job losses, and forced conversions.
Bhattacharya criticized the SIR as a “backdoor NRC,” warning that it, alongside police verification drives and MHA circulars, fosters “a tone of terror” and risks creating a “permanent category of disenfranchised people.” He questioned the government’s data on illegal immigration, pointing out the absence of a Census since 2011. He also disputed the Election Commission’s claim of zero complaints from booth-level agents (BLAs), citing cases like Mintoo Paswan, erroneously declared dead in the SIR. “Zero complaints would be one of the biggest lies of the SIR campaign,” he said.
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The Vote Adhikar Yatra, set to launch on Sunday across Bihar’s nine divisions, aims to address voter concerns through public meetings and street gatherings. Bhattacharya emphasized engaging locals to highlight issues faced during the SIR exercise, reinforcing opposition to what he called a divisive agenda.
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