Ranchi, Nov. 24 -- Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari has triggered a fresh political row with his remarks on the Election Commission's proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. His statement advising people to "lock the BLO inside the house" if a Booth Level Officer (BLO) visits has drawn criticism from several quarters.
Ansari told UNI his warning was aimed at safeguarding vulnerable families who lack essential documents. Ansari said that a large number of Adivasi, Dalit and economically weak households do not possess land papers, Aadhaar cards or other identity documents.
According to him, such communities face the highest risk of exclusion during SIR-related verification. "People in rural areas don't always have documents...