Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai visited Bareilly on Saturday, where he paid tribute to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on his death anniversary by garlanding his statue at a park near the Kotwali area.
Speaking to the media, Rai launched a direct attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of attempting to undermine the Constitution drafted by Dr. Ambedkar.
“The BJP is trying to dismantle Baba Saheb’s Constitution. The Congress will never allow this. From the Congress president to opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, we all stand firmly against this authoritarian BJP government,” he said.
Rai alleged that the BJP, driven by fear, is rushing the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of the electoral roll. He claimed that this undue haste has created enormous pressure on the employees handling the process, resulting in multiple deaths due to stress.
“Despite this, the BJP’s double-engine government remains silent. Even the Election Commission has failed to respond to the concerns raised by the opposition,” he added.
He highlighted that the families of employees who died during SIR duties have not received adequate compensation from the government. Referring to the recent death of assistant teacher Sarvesh Kumar Gangwar, Rai said the deceased leaves behind two young children who need support.
Rai also met the family of Ajay Agarwal, a teacher at MB Inter College who was serving as a supervisor for the SIR process and passed away on Saturday. He offered condolences to Agarwal’s son, Prakhand Agarwal, and brother, Tushar Agarwal.
The Congress leader reiterated the party’s demand to postpone the SIR exercise, stating that there is still ample time before the Assembly elections. He said the government should provide ₹1 crore compensation and a government job to one family member of every BLO or employee who dies during SIR-related duties.
District President Mirza Ashfaque Saklaini, Metropolitan President Dinesh Dadda, State Vice President Prem Prakash Agarwal, District Vice President Zia-ur-Rehman, former Metropolitan President Ajay Shukla, and other officials were present during the visit.