Parakala Prabhakar Slams Electoral Roll Revision as 'Political Genocide' in Dharwad Address, Warns of 'Hindu Pakistan' Risk to Democracy

Dharwad, November 20, 2025 – Renowned economist and political commentator Parakala Prabhakar unleashed a fiery critique of the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls during a public awareness session here on November 16, branding it a "political genocide" that threatens to dismantle India's democratic foundations and morph the nation into a "Hindu Pakistan." Speaking to a packed hall at the Karnataka Vidya Vardhaka Sangha (KVVS), Prabhakar urged citizens to boycott the process and mount an independent resistance, decrying public apathy as the enabler of such erosive policies.

The event, organized by the Eddelu Karnataka collective alongside local civil society groups, drew over 300 attendees amid growing nationwide concerns over voter deletions in states like West Bengal and Maharashtra. Prabhakar, known for his sharp analyses on economic policy and his marriage to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, positioned SIR not as routine housekeeping but as a calculated assault on the Constitution's bedrock principle of universal adult franchise.

In a 45-minute address laced with historical analogies, Prabhakar likened SIR to a "new form of genocide" that achieves societal homogenization without the spill of blood. "This is political elimination—deleting names from voter lists to erase the 'other' from the polity," he thundered, referencing past atrocities in Rwanda and Nazi Germany but noting how modern tools like data algorithms render violence obsolete. He accused the revision drive, which mandates re-verification of over 60 crore voters by December 25, of disproportionately targeting minorities, women, the illiterate, and the economically marginalized—groups that formed the vanguard of India's independence struggle.

Prabhakar highlighted the irony: India's Constitution, unique in granting "one vote, one person" rights to all adults from 1947—including women and Dalits—now faces subversion. "This isn't revision; it's reversal. Governments will soon elect the people, not the other way around," he warned, equating SIR to an unconstitutional rewrite that paves the way for authoritarianism. His most provocative claim came toward the close: "SIR is the project of those who dream of a 'Hindu Pakistan'—a theocratic state where diversity is a crime. If we don't fight now, we'll wake up in that nightmare."

The economist, who has critiqued the BJP-led government's economic maneuvers in past books like *The Crooked Timber of New India*, emphasized self-reliance in opposition. "Don't wait for political parties; they've been complicit through silence. Boycott SIR forms, document deletions, and flood courts with challenges," he advised, pointing to recent PILs in the Supreme Court questioning the ECI's timeline.

Launched in October 2025, SIR aims to "purify" electoral rolls ahead of 2026 state polls but has ignited fury after reports of 1.5 crore deletions in Bengal alone, with critics alleging partisan targeting of opposition strongholds. In Karnataka, the drive has led to sporadic protests in Hubballi-Dharwad, where urban migrants fear disenfranchisement. Prabhakar's visit, part of a whistle-stop tour across southern states, aligns with a broader civil society pushback, including Eddelu Karnataka's "Vote Bachao" campaign.

Resource persons like Madhav Deshpande unpacked SIR's mechanics—door-to-door verifications and Aadhaar linkages—while activists Tara Rao, Shiv Sundar, Noor Shridhar, Gopal Dabade, Ramzan Darga, and M. Isabela shared testimonies of vulnerable voters caught in the net. "It's not just rolls; it's robbing the future," Rao noted, echoing Prabhakar's call for grassroots vigilance.

The speech drew thunderous applause, with attendees chanting "SIR Hatao, Loktantra Bachao" (Remove SIR, Save Democracy). Local Congress MP Vinay Kulkarni, who attended uninvited, lauded Prabhakar as a "voice of conscience" but drew flak for politicizing the platform. BJP spokespersons, however, dismissed him as a "disgruntled advisor" peddling "fear-mongering," with state media cell head Kapil Gowda tweeting: "Prabhakar's dramatics ignore SIR's role in curbing bogus votes. Hindus aren't building a Pakistan; we're building Viksit Bharat."

Civil rights lawyer Teesta Setalvad, reacting from Ahmedabad, endorsed Prabhakar's "genocide" framing: "This is gerrymandering by deletion— a threat to every pluralist democracy." The ECI, maintaining radio silence, reiterated SIR as a "proactive measure" for electoral integrity.

As Prabhakar departed for his next stop in Belagavi, his Dharwad salvo has amplified calls for a national moratorium on revisions. With the Supreme Court hearing related pleas next week, the economist's words hang heavy: In a nation born of ballots, not bullets, the real risk to India may indeed lie in the erasure of a single vote.