DMK Questions Rahul Gandhi's Stance On TN Voter Deletions Amid SIR Protest

(MENAFN- IANS) Chennai, Oct 6 (IANS) The DMK on Tuesday questioned the position of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on alleged voter deletions in Tamil Nadu, even as INDIA bloc leaders staged a protest in New Delhi against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai accused Rahul Gandhi of adopting inconsistent positions on the electoral roll revision exercise and questioned why developments in Tamil Nadu had not received the same attention as the broader campaign against the Election Commission.

In a post on X, Annadurai called on Rahul Gandhi to clarify his stand on allegations concerning names allegedly removed from Tamil Nadu's electoral rolls during the SIR process.

He also questioned whether the Congress leader had refrained from raising the issue because of Chief Minister Vijay.

The criticism brought Tamil Nadu's political contest into a wider Opposition campaign centred on electoral accountability.

Annadurai's intervention focused on Rahul Gandhi's response to the electoral revision exercise in Tamil Nadu rather than solely on the Election Commission's conduct at the national level.

The DMK spokesperson also referred to a statement attributed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge that governments elected after the SIR exercise should be dissolved.

He sought clarification on why Rahul Gandhi had not publicly endorsed that position and whether such a stand would also apply to Tamil Nadu.

His remarks effectively sought an explanation of how the Congress intends to maintain a consistent position on the electoral roll revision issue across different states.

The allegations regarding voter deletions remain part of an ongoing political dispute.

The DMK did not participate in Tuesday's protest in New Delhi, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also stayed away from the demonstration.

AAP stated that it was pursuing its own campaign on the issue.

The absence of both parties highlighted differences within the Opposition on the strategy and format of the protest.

The disagreement follows an INDIA Bloc meeting held in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss allegations of irregularities in electoral rolls and to formulate a common response, including demands related to the Chief Election Commissioner.

The DMK and AAP had also chosen not to attend that meeting.

Taken together, the absences and Annadurai's remarks point to challenges in evolving a unified Opposition position on the issue.

While participating parties sought to focus attention on the Election Commission and the SIR process, the DMK's intervention added a separate demand that the Congress clarify its position on Tamil Nadu with the same emphasis it seeks in the national debate.

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