Chennai, Sept 28:
School Education Minister Rajmohan on Sunday accused the DMK of attempting to divert attention by demanding changes in the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking to reporters after paying floral tributes to veteran journalist and Dina Thanthi founder SiPa Aditanar at Egmore on his 122nd birth anniversary, Rajmohan said replacing or removing individuals in the Election Commission would not address the larger concerns surrounding the revision exercise.
“Changing the Election Commissioner will not end the issue,” Rajmohan said, arguing that attempts to make individuals responsible for the controversy amounted to an effort to shift the focus from the broader issue. He said the TVK government would not be drawn into what he described as diversionary politics.
Rajmohan also reiterated the TVK’s opposition to the SIR exercise. He said the party had opposed the process both before and after coming to power and referred to a statement issued by the party before the Assembly election.
Describing the entire SIR exercise as a “fraud”, Rajmohan alleged that deletion of voters had affected the TVK’s electoral prospects. He claimed that the party could have won more seats had voters not been deleted during the exercise. The claim was made by the Minister and represents the TVK government’s position on the electoral-roll controversy.
The remarks come amid an intensifying political dispute in Tamil Nadu over the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have raised concerns over voter deletions and the functioning of the Election Commission, while the ruling side has defended its position and questioned the motives behind demands for changes in the poll body.
The controversy has assumed added political significance with the State heading towards by-elections and the wider debate over electoral rolls continuing. Earlier, senior DMK leader TKS Elangovan had demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the Election Commission was facilitating an attempt to manipulate voter lists.
Rajmohan’s latest remarks therefore mark another escalation in the exchange between the TVK government and the DMK over the SIR exercise, with both sides presenting sharply different interpretations of its impact on voters and the electoral process.