Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 23: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav while accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of taking orders from the ruling BJP on Wednesday hinted that the opposition bloc may consider boycotting the coming elections to the Bihar Assembly.
Terming the on-going “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar as a “dishonest exercise,” Mr Yadav said the ECI was taking its orders from the ruling BJP and in such circumstances, holding an election has become meaningless.
Asked if the Opposition would consider boycotting the coming assembly polls in Bihar, he said it might be discussed with the allies of Grand Alliance. “If the BJP wants to run the government using fake voter lists, then just give them an extension. What’s the point of holding elections if the entire process is dishonest?” Mr Yadav asked.
The BJP quickly reacted to the statement claiming that it was an indication of the opposition accepting defeat even before the poll dates were announced. Reiterating the stance taken by the Centre, the BJP said the ECI was an independent institution and the revision exercise was a “transparent process.”
“Tejashwi Yadav’s statement of boycotting the elections reflects his frustration and fear of defeat. In a democracy, the voice of the people is supreme, and threatening to suppress it is undemocratic and irresponsible,” said Bihar BJP spokesperson Neeraj Kumar. “The Election Commission is an independent institution, and voter list revision is a transparent process, which Tejashwi is calling a conspiracy without any proof.”
Mr Yadav after a fiery debate with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the SIR exercise of the electoral rolls in the state assembly, alleged that the ongoing exercise was “dishonest” in nature. Boycotting the elections “too can be discussed. We will see what the people want and what everyone’s opinion is,” adding, “when everything has already been decided with dishonesty beforehand…then what’s the point of having an election?”
The row over SIR in Bihar escalated in parliament also on Wednesday as the Opposition held a “black protest” when the government refused to discuss the matter. Sources said the government had argued that the Election Commission was holding the revision and it could not answer on behalf of the poll body. In such a situation, can the issue of revision of voter list be discussed, the government had argued, sources said.
The matter became a bone of contention in the Bihar Assembly too, with RJD and other opposition MLAs demanding a full-fledged debate on the SIR process. The uproar in the Bihar assembly reflected the chaotic scenes from Parliament in New Delhi, where the opposition parties staged massive protests against the SIR during the ongoing monsoon session. There were repeated disruptions in both Houses as they demanded a discussion on the issue, with the Rajya Sabha finally being adjourned and the Lok Sabha also adjourned for the third consecutive day.
Earlier in the day, Tejashwi’s remarks on the SIR exercise in the Bihar assembly irked Nitish Kumar, triggering a war of words between the two. The chief minister resorted to personal attacks even as members on both the opposition and ruling sides used unparliamentary language against each other.
Mr Yadav slammed the Election Commission for not addressing the concerns raised by the Opposition, claiming that genuine voters were being deleted from the rolls while the poll body is busy showcasing inflated revision figures before the Supreme Court. “Earlier voters chose the government, now the government is choosing voters,” he said, calling the exercise a “fraudulent drive.”
Tejashwi was making a statement on the revision exercise when Nitish intervened and called him a “child.” The situation escalated quickly, prompting speaker Nand Kishor Yadav to adjourn the proceedings till 2 pm, barely 30 minutes after the House had convened at 11 am.
Wearing a black T-shirt as a mark of protest against the Election Commission’s (EC) exercise in the state, he was allowed by the speaker to make a statement on the issue. “We are not opposed to the special intensive revision per se, but how the Election Commission has been carrying out the exercise is objectionable. Why so late, when elections are just around the corner? They could have conducted it a few months earlier,” he said. “Only two-three per cent of voters in the state may have the documents that the EC is asking them to produce. What is this fear of fake voters? Does the EC mean to say fake voters have made Narendra Modi the PM and Nitish Kumar the CM. The EC has also not spoken of any foreign nationals in the voters’ list in its affidavit before the Supreme Court.”
He sought to know the fate of “nearly 4.5 crore residents of the state who are registered as voters, and come during elections from the places where they are eking out a living. The EC has threatened to strike off the names of people who were not found at their registered addresses.”
Nitish, who seemed unhappy with the discussion being allowed, rose in his seat to intervene. “You are a child. You know nothing of matters like these. Only three days are left of this last session of the House. Let it conduct legislative business. Whatever rubbish you want to speak, you may do it to your heart’s content during elections,” he said. “When his (Yadav’s) parents were chief ministers, they did nothing, neither for the women, nor for Muslims, nor any other section of society. The only woman who got something was his mother.”
The 75-year-old longest-serving CM of Bihar has for most part been a BJP ally, except for two short-lived alliances with the RJD-Congress combine. He further told Tejashwi that he left the Mahagathbandhan because the RJD leader was “not performing well” as the deputy CM.
The CM’s cabinet colleagues were seen tugging at his sleeves to make him sit. He has lately made headlines for unrestrained behaviour in public. When he finally sat, several from the opposition side were on their feet, and those on the ruling side engaged in a shouting match.
The Election Commission announced earlier in the day that 56 lakh names — up from yesterday’s 42 lakh — have been dropped from the draft voters’ list that would be out on August 1. Of these, 20 lakh people were dead, 28 lakh have permanently migrated, 7 lakh are enrolled at multiple places and 1 lakh remain untraceable. The Election Commission has also claimed the voters were satisfied with the exercise and assured that there would be time to tweak the lists and include anyone who need to be included.
