When people like Rahul Gandhi protest against SIR, the first thought that crosses one's mind is how politically naive he continues to be. The label Pappu may have started as a political jibe, but his repeated political misjudgements seem to reinforce that perception.

Congress, which has been thumping its chest and making grand claims, has received a befitting response in the by-elections. Even the recently concluded protest at Ramlila Maidan failed to generate the impact they hoped for. It is a reminder that voters are not easily swayed by manufactured outrage. Those who fail to offer constructive politics will eventually face rejection at the ballot box.

Rahul Gandhi is perhaps the classic example of a reluctant political heir, someone upon whom politics appears to have been thrust rather than a leader who has organically grown into the responsibility. Why else would he seek political validation by joining hands with the new mushrooms in the block CJP? Is this what credibility has been reduced to?

But let us first understand why SIR is the need of the hour, particularly in a country as vast and densely populated as India.

With a population of over 1.4 billion, rapid urbanisation, massive interstate migration, changing addresses, deaths that may not be promptly reported and young citizens attaining voting age, maintaining an accurate electoral roll is no small administrative exercise. People move, constituencies change, and electoral records need constant scrutiny. A person cannot legitimately be registered to vote in multiple constituencies. A deceased person's name cannot continue to remain on the rolls indefinitely. Equally, every eligible Indian citizen must have the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

That is precisely why an exercise like SIR becomes important. It is about ensuring that the electoral rolls reflect genuine, eligible voters. It is about electoral integrity, transparency and protecting the sanctity of every single vote.

And here is an important historical fact: the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which provides the statutory framework for special revision of electoral rolls, was enacted when Congress was in power. Special Intensive revisions have been conducted since the very first general elections in 1952, under governments led by different political parties.

So, the question is not whether electoral rolls should be periodically scrutinised. The question is why a process that has a long institutional and legal history has suddenly become such a political flashpoint.

If the Congress government of the time legislated for the preparation and revision of electoral rolls, and successive Election Commissions have exercised these powers over decades, what exactly is the objection today?

Any genuine concern about an eligible citizen being left out must be addressed. No Indian should lose their voting right because of an administrative error. But that cannot become an argument against verification itself.

Democracy cannot function on inflated, outdated or inaccurate electoral rolls. It must function on the strength of genuine voters, one person, one registration and one vote.

As for CJP, the less said, the better. It is deeply disturbing to see people whose understanding of national issues appears so limited, whose minds are so closed to facts and reason, and whose political positions seem driven more by prejudice than perspective. To believe that a nation can be divided and broken at one's whims, to sympathise with extremist elements, to turn a blind eye to those who threaten national security, and to repeatedly question institutions while disregarding the sacrifices of our armed forces is not dissent. It is a dangerous disregard for national responsibility.

And at the heart of all this is SIR — an exercise they seem determined to oppose without even making a sincere effort to understand its purpose and importance.

All I can do is pray that God grants them the wisdom to understand what SIR is, why it is being undertaken and why electoral integrity matters to the future of our democracy.

When ignorance is deliberately cultivated, it becomes a breeding ground for misinformation. You cannot clean the system by defending the muck, nor can you protect democracy by obstructing the very processes meant to strengthen it.

They say ignorance is bliss. But ignorance in matters concerning the integrity of our electoral system is not bliss; it is a liability.

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