Kerala Assembly passes unanimous resolution against SIR
Thiruvananthapuram(PTI): Kerala Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution against the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s move to carry out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' list in the state and urged the poll body to conduct the revision of voters' list in a transparent manner.
The Congress-led UDF opposition, which had already expressed their strong reservations against the SIR, backed the resolution in the House moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. In the resolution, the CM conveyed the concerns of the House about the "hasty move" by the ECI to implement the SIR and suspected "ill-motive" behind their action.
There are widespread concerns that the Election Commission's move to conduct SIR is a "backdoor" attempt to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC), he pointed out.
The recent SIR process in Bihar confirms such concerns, he alleged, adding that it reflects "politics of exclusion."
Alleging that the SIR implemented in Bihar witnessed "illogical exclusions" of people from the voters' list, Vijayan said there is a suspicion across the country whether the same pattern is being pursued on a national basis.
In the resolution, the CM questioned the attempts being made to implement the SIR in poll-bound Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal while the constitutional validity of the Bihar SIR process is under consideration by the Supreme Court. It cannot be viewed as an innocent move, the Left veteran noted.
There are widespread fear that the attempt by the Election Commission to implement the SIR, that requires long-term preparation and consultation, in a hasty manner is to sabotage democracy, he said.
It casts a shadow of suspicion over the Commission, he added.
"The local body elections in Kerala are due to be held soon. The assembly elections will be held immediately after that. In this situation, it is ill-intentioned to conduct the SIR in a hurry," he said.
Prior to this, a thorough revision of the voter list was carried out in Kerala in 2002. It is "unscientific" that the present revision is to be conducted based on 2002, he said.
The SIR's requirement that those born after 1987 can vote only if they provide their father's or mother's citizenship certificate is a decision that undermines the country's adult franchise, he noted.
It is also stipulated that those born after 2003 can cast their vote only if they submit the citizenship documents of their father and mother, he said.
Expert studies in this regard showed that people from marginalised sections of society are excluded from the electoral rolls due to such provisions in the SIR, the resolution pointed out.
The vast majority of those excluded would be from minority communities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, women, and those belonging to financially backward families, the CM further said.
Vijayan, in the resolution, also wanted to maintain the voting rights of non-resident voters in the electoral rolls.
He also expressed concerns about the possible use of the SIR by those who try to revive the Citizenship Amendment Act, which makes citizenship based on religion.
It is a challenge to democracy, the chief minister further said.
The Assembly unanimously demands that the Election Commission refrain from such practices that violate fundamental rights of people. It also demands to conduct the revision of voters' list in a transparent manner, the CM added.
After amendments suggested by some members, Speaker A N Shamseer announced that the House has unanimously passed the resolution.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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