'From where will people get birth certificates when...?' Mamata slams SIR exercise
Earlier this month, the apex court directed that Aadhaar must be accepted as the twelfth valid document for inclusion in Bihar’s electoral rolls after complaints that officials were refusing to recognise it.
- Sep 16, 2025,
- Updated Sep 16, 2025 8:10 PM IST
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sharpened her attack on the Centre over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, questioning how people could be expected to furnish birth certificates when “institutional delivery was not prevalent” decades ago.
“From where will people get their birth certificate for SIR? It was not possible at that time, as institutional delivery was not prevalent,” Banerjee said. She also accused the Centre of financially starving Bengal, claiming, “We don’t get compensation of ₹20 thousand crore for GST. We don’t even get funds for projects. We are number one in health care services in India.”
Her remarks come at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing challenges to the Election Commission of India’s SIR process in poll-bound Bihar. The court on Monday observed that if any illegality is found in the methodology adopted, the entire exercise could be set aside.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi made it clear that its verdict will not just be confined to Bihar but will apply to SIR exercises across India. The judges also noted that while they presume the ECI is following the law, any lapses would attract judicial scrutiny.
EC is preparing for SIR in Bengal. earlier CEC hinted that the decision would be taken soon
Earlier this month, the apex court directed that Aadhaar must be accepted as the twelfth valid document for inclusion in Bihar’s electoral rolls after complaints that officials were refusing to recognise it. Opposition parties have alleged that the SIR has led to the deletion of genuine voters’ names without proper verification.
On August 18, the Election Commission revealed that 65 lakh names were removed from the draft electoral rolls during the ongoing revision. The final hearing in the matter is scheduled for October 7.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sharpened her attack on the Centre over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, questioning how people could be expected to furnish birth certificates when “institutional delivery was not prevalent” decades ago.
“From where will people get their birth certificate for SIR? It was not possible at that time, as institutional delivery was not prevalent,” Banerjee said. She also accused the Centre of financially starving Bengal, claiming, “We don’t get compensation of ₹20 thousand crore for GST. We don’t even get funds for projects. We are number one in health care services in India.”
Her remarks come at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing challenges to the Election Commission of India’s SIR process in poll-bound Bihar. The court on Monday observed that if any illegality is found in the methodology adopted, the entire exercise could be set aside.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi made it clear that its verdict will not just be confined to Bihar but will apply to SIR exercises across India. The judges also noted that while they presume the ECI is following the law, any lapses would attract judicial scrutiny.
EC is preparing for SIR in Bengal. earlier CEC hinted that the decision would be taken soon
Earlier this month, the apex court directed that Aadhaar must be accepted as the twelfth valid document for inclusion in Bihar’s electoral rolls after complaints that officials were refusing to recognise it. Opposition parties have alleged that the SIR has led to the deletion of genuine voters’ names without proper verification.
On August 18, the Election Commission revealed that 65 lakh names were removed from the draft electoral rolls during the ongoing revision. The final hearing in the matter is scheduled for October 7.