88,000 infiltrators sent back during UPA rule, BJP govt found only 2,400: Digvijaya

Pooh-poohing the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh on Saturday claimed that the BJP-led government found only 2,400 infiltrators in 11 years while 88,000 such people had been sent back during the UPA rule. The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister was referring to the assertion that the SIR was intended to weed out infiltrators.

''The BJP is shouting `infiltrators' in the Bihar assembly polls, but what is the fact? 88,000 people who were not citizens of the country were sent back from 2004 to 2014 during the two terms of the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre,'' Singh told reporters.

''But in the last 11 years of the BJP, only 2,400 infiltrators have been found. This means they have not even found three per cent of the number of infiltrators we found in the UPA regime,'' the Rajya Sabha member said.

Despite this, the BJP always rakes up the issue of infiltrators, he said.

The SIR exercise started in Madhya Pradesh earlier this week.

Earlier it was the Election Commission's job to ensure that every citizen has the right to practise their franchise, but under the SIR the onus to prove citizenship has been shifted to the people, Singh said, asking what would be the consequence if a person fails to prove the citizenship. Alleging irregularities in voter lists, the Congress leader urged the Election Commission to freeze electoral rolls immediately after polls are announced to prevent addition or deletion of names.

In 2003, documents such as birth certificates, ration cards and school certificates were enough, but now citizenship certificates, which ''99 per cent of Indians do not possess'', are being demanded, said Singh.

Voter lists given to candidates and those available with presiding officers on polling day often differ, leading to eligible voters being left out, he said.