Attempt on removing Muslim voters through Form 7: Owaisi

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Alleging that BJP activists were attempting to remove names of Muslim voters from electoral rolls by submitting Form 7 during SIR, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has warned of a stir stronger than the one at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

Hitting back, Telangana BJP said the AIMIM leader should stop resorting to political rhetoric against the Election Commission and take the legal route if he genuinely possesses evidence of irregularities in the electoral process. Addressing a gathering late on Saturday night, Owaisi said the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana should check the alleged attempts to remove the names of voters by submitting printed Form-7.

The name of the person submitting the Form-7 is not being provided, the Hyderabad MP claimed. Form-7 is a voter application form for objection for proposed inclusion/ deletion of name in the existing electoral roll.

"BJP and Sangh Parivar people want to get names deleted by submitting Form 7," Owaisi said. He said Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) should check every Form 7 and find out who is submitting the application for removal of voters names. He alleged that a Booth Level Assistant (BLA) of BJP at Musheerabad in Hyderabad had submitted form for removal of Muslim voters. The EC should take action if false Form 7 are presented, he said.

"If this drama does not stop, remember, we will do the 'mantar', that was not read at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, on the streets of Hyderabad. Then they will have a big problem. We cannot tolerate all names of genuine voters being deleted through Form 7 just because they are Muslims," he said. Asking AIMIM workers to question officials as to who submitted Form-7 applications, he said protests "double, triple of whatever happened in Delhi and Mumbai" would take place in Hyderabad.

Claiming that SIR is wrong exercise, he said the Supreme Court, however, gave a decision in its favour. He said why should there be a problem if six children are born to a person. He said he has six children. Owaisi further alleged that the purpose of SIR is to remove names, raise questions over citizenship and then make people stand in queue "when NRC is conducted tomorrow".