Hyderabad: Dr. Parakala Prabhakar, a renowned economic and social analyst and author, called on civil society and intellectuals to question the lack of transparency, accountability issues, and policy flaws in the special extensive revision of the voter list (SIR). The PV Memorial Lecture was held on Thursday at Dr. C. Narayana Reddy Auditorium in the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, CSTD building, to commemorate the 105th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna awardee P.V. Narasimha Rao. On this occasion, Dr. Parakala Prabhakar delivered a speech on the topic ‘SIR 2025-26: Is it diluting the essence of India?’.
Speaking at the program, President of the function, Vice Chancellor Prof. Ghanta Chakrapani said that a transparent and accurate voters’ list is the foundation for protecting and strengthening democracy. He mentioned that removing votes under the name SIR goes against democracy and the ideas of Dr. Ambedkar as a statesman. He added that a hundred years ago, Dr. Ambedkar had proposed and included in the Constitution the principle of one vote for every adult from all communities in the country to prevent such risks. He expressed concern that in the past, voters used to choose leaders, which was democracy, but now leaders are deciding who qualifies as voters, which is not a good development. He revealed that at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, they proudly uphold democratic values by providing equal opportunities for everyone to pursue higher education.
Speaking as the chief speaker, Dr. Parakala Prabhakar recalled his close association with Bharat Ratna P. V. Narasimha Rao. He described having the opportunity to observe PV up close, one of the great leaders of modern India, as an ‘undeserved fortune.’ He began his speech expressing concern about the state of democratic freedoms, especially freedom of speech and discussions related to education. He expressed the wish for extensive discussion on recent policy decisions taken by the central government, such as the central government’s circular on Vande Mataram and the setting up of a high-level committee on population changes. While mentioning the need to maintain accurate voter lists in the special extensive revision (SIR) of voter lists, he pointed out that there was a lack of transparency in this process. Even though the process has been completed in various states across the country, unanswered questions remain, and the elections in those states are also over.
Dr. Prabhakar argued that in some states, hundreds of thousands of voters have been removed from the lists, and when asked about it, there’s no one giving a proper answer. He said that the current voter list (SIR) is significantly different compared to the extensive revisions made in 2002. Pointing out statistics suggesting that a large number of voters have been removed from the voter lists in many states, he emphasized the need to carefully examine these trends. He revealed that this process is likely to have a big impact on minorities, Dalits, tribals, women, daily laborers, and economically weaker sections, who are also the groups losing the most votes in these states. He mentioned that there’s no need to conduct the SIR in the two Telugu states right now since there’s still plenty of time before the elections. Dr. Prabhakar clarified that there’s no evidence for claims that illegal migrants were identified through the SIR process. He warned that removing voters in large numbers from the voter lists could result in many eligible citizens losing their voting rights.
Intellectuals in society have called on the authorities to wake up and warned that even if their votes are just one less than the number of elderly in the state, they shouldn’t ignore it. He explained that there are suspicions here that the Central Election Commission has lost accountability, and when RTI ACT requests are made for the related files on SIR policy decisions, the response given is that no documents are available. They called for more transparency and widespread public discussion on policy decisions to safeguard democratic values. Dr. Parakala Prabhakar suggested that intellectuals should act in this direction.
MLC Surabhi Vani Devi, who participated as a chief guest at the program, mentioned that Bharat Ratna P.V. Narasimha Rao was a versatile genius and that his remarkable leadership, intellect, and political acumen left an indelible mark on the country. She explained that her father P.V. tirelessly worked throughout his public life, upholding values like equality, progress, and social justice, for the welfare and comprehensive development of all sections of society.
Professor G. Pushpa Chakrapani, Director (Academic), who also attended the program as a chief guest, welcomed the gathering and elaborated that Bharat Ratna P. V. Narasimha Rao’s farsighted leadership and political acumen served as a guiding force for national development. He added that organizing special discussion programs to commemorate the birth anniversaries of great leaders would be beneficial for future generations. Expressing gratitude to the chief guest, dignitaries, faculty team, students, and media representatives who made the event successful, Registrar Dr. L.V.K. Reddy offered his salutations.
