SIR a Clandestine Way to Implement NRC: Kerala Legislative Assembly
N S Sajith
THE Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously demanded that the Election Commission should desist from actions that violate Fundamental Rights and proceed with a transparent updating of the electoral rolls. The manner in which those attempting to revive the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)/ National Register of Citizens (NRC), which makes citizenship religion-based, will use Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is also a challenge facing democracy, a resolution presented by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan opined.
Widespread concern exists that the Election Commission's move to introduce SIR is a clandestine way to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The SIR process carried out in Bihar validates such concerns. The politics of exclusion is evident in the recent revision of the Bihar electoral rolls. There were irrational removals from the voter list in Bihar. There is a suspicion nationwide that the same method is being targeted on a national level.
It cannot be seen as an innocent coincidence that the same process is being hastily introduced in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, where Assembly elections are to be held soon, even as the Constitutional validity of the Bihar SIR process is under the consideration of the Supreme Court. There is a growing fear that rushing through with a process like SIR, which requires long-term preparation and consultation, is an attempt to sabotage the democratic mandate. This has placed the Election Commission under a cloud of suspicion. The local body elections are due to be held soon in Kerala, followed immediately by the Legislative Assembly elections. In this situation, the rushed implementation of SIR is malicious. Previously, the intensive review of the electoral roll in Kerala took place in 2002. The fact that the current review is based on the 2002 data is also unscientific.
The condition in the SIR that states that those born after 1987 must also provide the citizenship documents of their father or mother to be registered as a voter is a decision that undermines our universal adult franchise. There is also a stipulation that those born after 2003 must submit the citizenship documents of both their father and mother to become a voter. Excluding people from the electoral roll due to a lack of documents is a complete violation of the universal suffrage guaranteed to citizens by Article 326 of the Constitution. Studies by experts in this field indicate that it is the marginalized sections of society who will be excluded from the right to vote due to such stipulations in the SIR. The majority of those excluded will include members of minority communities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, women, and poor families. The voting rights of non-resident Indian (NRI) voters currently on the electoral roll must also be preserved.
