AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has urged the youth to stop wasting time watching reels on social media, warning that the addiction to short-form videos is destroying young minds and preventing them from focusing on their careers. He linked this concern with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, highlighting how excessive screen time could leave young people unprepared to engage with Booth Level Officers during the verification process.
Focus on Reading and Real Issues
Speaking in Hyderabad, Asaduddin Owaisi emphasised the need for youth to read newspapers instead of endlessly scrolling through reels, stating that spending time on such content will not help them become leaders, doctors, engineers, or scientists. “Watching reels only destroys the brain and wastes time,” he said, underlining the importance of focusing on real-world issues and building awareness about civic responsibilities instead of getting lost in digital distractions.
Asaduddin Owaisi linked his concerns to the ongoing controversy in Bihar over the electoral rolls’ intensive revision, where many residents are allegedly being labelled as Bangladeshi, Nepali, or from Myanmar. He pointed out that if the youth continue to remain absorbed in reels, they will be unable to answer questions from Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during door-to-door verification.
Questioning the Election Commission’s Role
The AIMIM leader criticised the Election Commission’s authority in determining the citizenship status of individuals through the SIR exercise, claiming it resembled the National Register of Citizens (NRC) by the back door. “Who gave the ECI the power to determine whether someone is a citizen or not? Our party was the first to say that SIR is NRC through the back door,” Asaduddin Owaisi said, according to ANI.
Asaduddin Owaisi demanded the results from the last time this exercise was conducted in 2003, questioning how many foreign nationals were identified then and asking for accountability from the Booth Level Officers. He stated that AIMIM party workers would meet these officers to inquire about the individuals being labelled as foreign nationals, seeking clarity on the claims being made during the revision process.
As part of the SIR exercise, the Election Commission has collected over 86% of the enumeration forms so far, with the final round of door-to-door verification scheduled to take place soon, making the connection between civic engagement and digital distractions even more crucial for the youth to consider.
