SIR a 'disruptive exercise like demonetisation': CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya

SIR may trigger mass disenfranchisement, vote theft, alleges Dipankar Bhattacharya

Kolkata: CPI(ML) Liberation, a constituent of the Grand Alliance in Bihar, described the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of voters' lists as a "complete departure" from India's electoral traditions, and claimed that the exercise threatens to unleash "mass disenfranchisement and vote theft".

Calling the SIR a "disruptive exercise like demonetisation", CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya alleged that it was designed to tamper with the principle of universal adult franchise.

"The Election Commission (EC) is not the competent body to judge citizenship. Yet, for the first time in 75 years of Indian democracy, people are being asked by the EC to prove their citizenship. This has never happened before. The decision by EC is a complete departure from established electoral procedures and violates the very spirit of universal adult franchise," Bhattacharya told PTI in an interview.

Despite strong opposition by the CPI(ML) Liberation and other constituents of the 'Mahagathbandhan', the SIR has been underway in Bihar.

Bhattacharya said that after the announcement of SIR, his party had apprehended large-scale disenfranchisement, estimating that up to two crore voters could be affected.

"Subsequent developments have proved us right. Already 65 lakh names have been deleted, and three lakh more voters have been served notices. This is not a hypothetical danger- it is happening," he said.

What was striking, he claimed, was that none of the deletions involved "foreign infiltrators".

"As late as August 18, when the EC was compelled by the Supreme Court to share decentralised deletion lists, it became clear that not a single Bangladeshi, Nepali or Myanmarese was among them. The BJP's propaganda about infiltrators has fallen flat," the Left leader alleged.

Bhattacharya claimed that a three-month-long campaign in Bihar from July had forced the EC to roll back three key points.

"Initially, the EC ordered that all eight crore voters submit forms with photographs and documents by July 25. Following public opposition, this was withdrawn - no photo, no documents, just the form. That was the first retreat. Second, after deleting 65 lakh names, the EC had to release the lists only after the Supreme Court's intervention."

"Third, in September, the court directed that Aadhaar be accepted as a valid document, something the EC had resisted. These were three important retreats," he said.

Bhattacharya cautioned that "both disenfranchisement and electoral fraud remain live dangers".

"Earlier, we were getting daily updates from the EC. Now, silence. Suddenly, at the end of the month, we will face a consolidated final list prepared behind closed doors. That is a real risk," he said.

CPI(ML) Liberation believes this entire SIR exercise is "unconstitutional", he said.

"The court may eventually say so, but by then the damage may be irreversible. By the time the court gathers enough evidence, crores may be disenfranchised. That is a real danger," he warned.

Bhattacharya claimed that "just as demonetisation disrupted the economy, SIR has disrupted the electoral process, and both were sudden, arbitrary and hugely disruptive".

"But just as people survived demonetisation, I hope Bihar too will overcome this disruption and deliver a decisive mandate for change," he said.

The CPI(ML) Liberation leader said the Bihar agitation had ensured limiting disenfranchisement and making the public alert.

"Rahul Gandhi's press conference exposing more than fake voters was a shot in the arm. The slogan 'vote-thief' has now gone viral. People are on alert, and Bihar has become a wake-up call for Bengal and other states," he said.

The challenge now is to ensure Bengal and other states do not meet the same fate, he said.

Bhattacharya claimed that women are disproportionately affected because of demands for legacy documents.

"Within Bengal, the rhetoric of Bangladeshi infiltrators will hurt Hindus and Muslims alike- most are refugees with weak paperwork. These are the groups we must protect," he said.

Bhattacharya alleged that BLOs in Bihar were "deleting names in a big way, often targeting Muslims and migrants, and this is not just a clerical error, but reflects social and political bias".

He also claimed that the BJP's real strength lies "in misusing the administration, not its organisational strength".

The Left leader alleged that the NDA government in Bihar presides over a "criminal-politician-police nexus, while poverty, unemployment and debt are widespread".

Speaking on Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party, Bhattacharya said that "a new party launched with so much money and media power is rare. Next to the BJP, it may be the strongest in terms of resources. But votes depend on candidates. It is creating buzz, but I don't see it making a major dent," he said.

Shifting focus to West Bengal, Bhattacharya said the state needed a third political force to prevent a BJP-TMC binary.

"If the BJP becomes the sole opposition in Bengal, the state will plunge into permanent chaos and sectarian politics. Bengal needs a democratic opposition - a broad Left front, in collaboration with other non-BJP, non-TMC forces - to provide a real alternative," he said.

While acknowledging the Left-Congress alliance had dwindled electorally, Bhattacharya insisted the "need for a third force remains crucial".