'Purification of voter lists': Shah hails SIR in states

Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday described the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states and Union Territories as a "purification process" of the voters' list and added that the Union government is determined to throw every illegal immigrant out of the country.

- HT Correspondents

Addressing the BSF Diamond Jubilee (61st Raising Day) celebrations in Gujarat's Bhuj, Shah said the National Democratic Alliance's recent Bihar assembly election victory was a clear mandate of the people against infiltrators and warned opposition parties that India will never support those trying to protect them in voter lists.

"These parties are opposing the ongoing SIR and the voter list purification process being carried out by the Election Commission because they want to ensure that the names of infiltrators remain on the electoral rolls," he said in Hindi. "No infiltrator has the right to pollute our democratic system and influence our democratic decisions. In a way, this SIR is a process to protect and purify our democracy."