SIR row: DMK demands CEC’s removal, slams Congress for ‘double standards’

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) parliamentary party on Saturday (October 17) passed four resolutions that demanded the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, the complete scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a return to paper ballots, and full support for student and youth protests against the exercise.

The resolutions also delivered a pointed attack on the Congress, accusing it of hypocrisy, opportunism and “double standards” on the SIR issue while recalling the Opposition’s troubled experience in Bihar.

The meeting, under the leadership of party president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin at the party’s headquarters, Anna Arivalayam in Chennai, was attended by senior leaders including general secretary Durai Murugan, treasurer TR Baalu and parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, lasted over an hour and focused on the party’s stance on SIR, delimitation and related parliamentary matters.

DMK backs CJP’s protests

Party sources said the resolutions were adopted amid ongoing nationwide protests by student groups and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) against the Election Commission’s (EC) voter-roll revision and alleged unilateral actions by the CEC.

Also read: Kanimozhi joins anti-SIR protest, demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

The first resolution called for Gyanesh's immediate dismissal and an inquiry into his conduct. It alleged that he drove the SIR exercise despite objections from the other two Election Commissioners, resulting in the systematic deletion of eligible voters, particularly in Bihar where the process was first introduced. The resolution recalled that Stalin had opposed the exercise as early as July 2025 and participated in the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, accompanied by Kanimozhi.

The second resolution extended full support to CJP and student organisations and democratic forces protesting against SIR, the alleged overreach by the Election Commission, and the detention of activists. It reaffirmed the DMK’s commitment to these movements and reiterated demands to scrap SIR and remove the CEC.

The third resolution specifically condemned the Congress and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) for what it described as double standards. It stated that the Congress’s claim of opposing SIR nationally while remaining silent or taking a different position on the process in Keralam and Tamil Nadu amounted to hypocrisy.

“If irregularities have occurred during the SIR, the same concerns must apply to every state,” the resolution asserted.

Party slams CM Vijay; labels Congress ‘backstabber’

It also criticised TVK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for not publicly opposing SIR or demanding the CEC’s removal, and alleged that certain Congress leaders were praising TVK for personal gains. The resolution further labelled the Congress a “backstabber” and ruled out any joint action with it.

Also read: DMK-TVK face-off as Vijay opens knowledge park; Stalin alleges scheme cover-up

The fourth resolution decided that DMK MPs, under Stalin’s guidance, would submit a petition to President Droupadi Murmu seeking the immediate and complete scrapping of SIR (with upcoming elections conducted on pre-SIR rolls) and the discontinuation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in favour of paper ballots to restore public confidence in the electoral process.

DMK leaders used the platform to challenge the Congress’s credentials on the issue. Party MP A Raja said the DMK had been the “primary political party across India” to consistently oppose SIR both inside and outside Parliament, and questioned whether the Congress had the “moral right” to criticise the DMK.

The party maintained that Stalin had written to Chief Ministers across states and that the DMK had raised the issue well before the national opposition campaign gathered momentum.

‘We have already supported CJP’

The resolutions also served as a reminder of the Opposition alliance’s difficulties in Bihar after the 2025 Assembly elections. They recalled problems of inflexible seat-sharing, the decision of Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) to contest independently, and instances of candidates from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and Left parties fighting one another.

The DMK has distanced itself from the Congress following the end of their alliance in Tamil Nadu and has signalled interest in exploring alternative alignments, including outreach to student-led groups such as the CJP. Stalin has publicly condemned the detention of CJP leaders and offered legal support, while the party has backed youth protests in Chennai and elsewhere.

DMK MP and deputy general secretary Kanimozhi said, "We have already supported the CJP when the leaders were arrested, and I went to the protest happening in Chennai yesterday to reach out to them and say that we are standing with them on behalf of the leader and the party."

TVK joins Congress-backed protest

TVK, which formally joined the INDIA bloc earlier this month, participated for the first time in a Congress-led Opposition protest in Chennai on October 15 demanding the resignation of Gyanesh.

School Education Minister A Rajmohan represented the party and addressed the gathering, terming the voter-roll revision “inherently anti-democratic” while citing the party’s Supreme Court challenge. However, the party’s presence remained limited to a single minister without flags or cadres.

Furthermore, TVK has kept a clear distance from the independent CJP protests, even as Chennai police under the TVK government detained over 30 young protesters and students near Besant Nagar’s Elliot’s Beach on October 10 while they were demonstrating in solidarity with CJP’s protest in Delhi.

The meeting also discussed speculation around a possible special Parliament session on delimitation and related Bills, with Stalin reportedly telling MPs that the party would address the issue when it comes before the House.