Support SIR to weed out infiltrators: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday urged citizens to give full support to the ongoing process of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in nine states and three UTs, as it will ensure that every single infiltrator is removed from the electoral list, adding that it is the Centre’s pledge to identify and deport every single ‘ghuspaithiya’ from the country.

Attacking the Trinamool Congress, which is opposing the exercise and whose head and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to halt the process, Shah without naming any party said that “certain political parties” were trying to weaken the campaign for eliminating the infiltrators, while pointing out that the Bihar elections have already given a decisive mandate to the NDA and rejected such forces.

“Unfortunately, some political parties are trying to weaken the campaign to eliminate infiltrators. These political parties are opposing the SIR process and the Election Commission’s voter list sanitisation. It is my clear message to the political parties opposing the SIR for political gains that the infiltrators will certainly be thrown out of the country,” Shah said, while addressing the Raising Day function of the BSF at Bhuj in Gujarat.

Expressing his confidence in the purification of the electoral rolls, Shah said the SIR was a “process to protect the country and our democracy” and appealed to everyone to support the process being carried out by the EC.

The Home Minister also lauded the role of the BSF during Operation Sindoor, noting that the offensive was only a limited response, yet Pakistan treated the strike on terrorists as an attack on itself. The moment the Pakistani army came into action, BSF jawans did not fall short in giving them a befitting and resounding reply, Shah said.

He pointed out that within just a few days, due to the valour and bravery of the BSF and the Army, Pakistan was forced to announce a unilateral ceasefire. During ‘Operation Sindoor’, Indian forces destroyed nine key locations of JeM, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba, including their headquarters and training camps.