Firhad Hakim Threatens BJP and Election Commission Over SIR Amid CAA, NRC Row in Bengal

In a heated political face-off, West Bengal Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has issued a stern warning to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission (EC) over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in the state. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader accused the central ruling party of attempting to merge the SIR process with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) implementation, sparking widespread political tension across Bengal.

Speaking after an all-party meeting convened by the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Hakim declared, “If the BJP and Election Commission try to impose CAA together, I will break their legs.” His remark came as an emotional reaction to growing suspicions that the voter roll revision could serve as a “backdoor NRC” — echoing the sentiment expressed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier this week.

The SIR process, which was first executed in Bihar earlier this year, led to nearly 66 lakh voter names being excluded from the electoral rolls, leading to massive protests. Opposition parties claimed that the exercise targeted minorities and underprivileged communities, a charge the Election Commission has denied, insisting that deletions only applied to names of deceased individuals, migrants, or those with duplicate entries.

Tensions escalated during Tuesday’s meeting as party representatives clashed with officials over new voter identification procedures and enumeration forms. Representing TMC, Hakim accused the EC of “attempting to remove genuine voters” from the rolls and asserted that his party would not tolerate any injustice.

He stated firmly, “If even one genuine voter’s name is deleted, we will oppose this revision. The people of Bengal will not allow such an exclusion to take place.”

Adding emotional weight to his claims, Hakim cited the suicide of 57-year-old Pradeep Kar from Panihati in North 24 Parganas, who allegedly took his life after fearing disenfranchisement under the SIR exercise. The tragic incident has turned into a political flashpoint, with both TMC and BJP accusing each other of exploiting the issue for political mileage.

Reiterating his confidence in Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, Hakim said, “As long as Mamata Banerjee is here, the BJP will never have the power to implement NRC in Bengal.”

Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal assured citizens that the SIR process would be transparent and fair, stating, “Not a single genuine voter’s name will be struck off the rolls. Every entry will be verified thoroughly.”

As Bengal braces for another politically charged election cycle, the debate over CAA, NRC, and SIR continues to dominate the state’s political narrative — intensifying the ideological clash between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.