By Arun Srivastava
Exactly sixty years ago, the Dalits and proletariats of Ekwari in Bhojpur of Bihar had fought a protracted armed struggle against the political hegemony of the feudal lords and upper caste goons for exercising their right to franchise; the rights to elect their representatives. Once again reminiscent of the 1965 Ekwari struggle, which eventually gave birth to famous armed peasant uprising, known as “Bhojpur Struggle”, the Dalits and poor across Bihar are gearing up for a sustained struggle against the state for denying their right to vote.
The struggle of 1965 has one fundamental difference with that of the current mobilisation. While during those years, the struggle was directed against the feudal landlords who did not allow them to go to the polling booths and cast their votes, this time the Election Commission has been conspiring to snatch their nationality, project them as stateless. The latest move of the Election Commission is a brutal attack on their identity. There is however a visceral similarity between the 1965 struggle which continued till 1980 and current assertion. The landlords and feudal elements had then alleged that the Dalits and proletariats intended to use the state power.
Ekwari’s struggle witnessed resurrection of Naxalite movement, coined as “Naxalbari to Ekwari”. In sixties the Dalits and the poor used the election as the tool to assert their existence; against their socio-economic exploitation by the rich and feudal lords. As in 1965,the landlords of Bihar continue to have political power and a subservient state machinery at their command. The only change that has taken after sixty years is those years they used their connections with the state for achieving their mission. Now they control the state machinery. It acts according to their desires.
Yet another distinct difference between the two has been, while in sixties the rightist forces and elements extended support to the feudal landlords and rich, in the prevailing situation they are using the state power over which they preside. There is none to question their actions. With the union government ensuring protection of their class interest, they are even not hesitant to subvert the procedure and practice of Constitutional provisions. In sixties the landlords took upon themselves to physically prevent them from exercising their franchising, but now they are using the threat of foreign national to deprive them the voting rights.
EC issued two statements on June 24 and June 30, citing reasons behind the revision: “inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants,” “frequent migration,” young citizens becoming eligible to vote and non-reporting of deaths. The Dalits who have been voting since sixties, have suddenly been asked by the EC to prove their eligibility, in the form of nationality, to vote. They have ominous intentions, primarily to serve the vested interests of the rightist forces, eventually to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra. The EC is not willing to accept the government’s documents like voter identity card, Aadhaar Card, Ration Card as the proof of their nationality.
It has mysterious implication. The government officials know it for certain that the poor Dalits and proletariat who survive in thatched houses do not possess domicile certificate; they do not have birth certificates. They are paperless people. Their only identity is their being daily wage earning labourers. It is an internationally known fact their thatched houses are washed away every year in the floods. They are not even allowed to access the government offices for help. It is the middle men who dictate. In this backdrop how could a middle class Babu expect a Dalit or proletariat to possess certificates?
After the EC’s move came under severe criticism, it offered some way out in the form of a revised order that any person whose name is not recorded in the 2003 Electoral Rolls — an estimated 2.93 crore — needs to submit at least one of 11 documents establishing eligibility to vote. It is indeed shocking to comprehend that these Babus treat the Dalit and Mahadalits as pensioners of central or state government. The EC directive has also unravelled the nature and strength of the government employees. According to the Bihar Caste Survey 2022, around 20.49 lakh people in the state were in government service. This is only 1.57% of the state’s population.
In 2000, the year from which the Registrar General of India began recording data, Bihar registered only 1.19 lakh births, 3.7% of the estimated births that year. Bihar’s birth registration rate has progressively increased, but even in 2007— those born in this year will be 18 years of age and eligible to vote in 2025 — only 7.13 lakh births were registered. This was one-fourth of the estimated births in Bihar that year. According to Cast Survey 2022 report, Bihar’s total population stood at 13.07 crore in 2022. Of this, OBCs were 3.54 crore (27%) and EBCs were 4.70 (36%), Scheduled Castes were 2.6 crore (20 per cent), Scheduled Tribes (STs) 22 lakh (1.6%). However, there is no data available about the number of people from these communities who got their certificates. A comparison with Census data shows a wide gap. According to the official 2001 Census, the population of Bihar on March 1, 2001, was 8.3 crore. This increased to 10.4 crore in the 2011 Census, an increase of 2.11 crore. However, the total registration of births in this period in Bihar stood at only 73.91 lakh.
The 77,000 BLOs have been assigned the arduous task of checking antecedents of over 7.8 crore registered electors as part of the revision exercise within a month, by the time monsoon arrives. Intriguingly state’s Chief Electoral Officer VinodGunjiyal confesses of not providing 28 per cent of the form to the BLOs. Out of 7.8 crores only 5.61 crore have been furnished with the form.
Dalits and the poor have come to understand the nefarious design of Modi and his BJP government. Dalits including the minorities have started organising meetings and decode the conspiracy of RSS and BJP. There is a general consensus amongst them that they have to resist this move or else they would be finished. They would be identified as stateless and sent to detention camps.
Meanwhile the CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya told that a massive movement of Dalits, proletariats and poor would be launched soon across the state. Rallies and village level meetings are taking place. Other five left parties along with the RJD have also joined. According to Dipankar, the move of the EC is an attack on fundamental rights of the people and is unconstitutional. He sought to know since the EC has found fault with the existing voters’ list, does it think that the 2024 Lok Sabha election was illegal and unconstitutional. He also has a potent query: will EC send these four crore people to detention camps if they fail to provide the documents desired by it?
To begin with CPI(ML) along with INDIA bloc constituents will organise a Chakka Jam across Bihar on July 9. Dipankar cautioned the people: “Don’t be misled by the news of EC granting relief to Bihar’s beleaguered voters. The predictably slow progress of the SIR has forced the EC to think of this immediate escape route. If only 14% filled-in forms have returned after 10 days, the EC knows that a huge number of voters will be eliminated at the draft stage itself. Hence the ‘deceptive relaxation’ that voters need not submit any documents or even photos at the draft stage.”
He also said: “relaxation does not eliminate the danger of mass disenfranchisement, it merely defers it. The relaxation now opens the way for massive discretionary powers with the EROs. It is not clear if there is a fresh deadline for submission of documents. There has been no transparency in the entire process of SIR right since its inception. With every new announcement it now gets opaquer and more arbitrary. By now we all know that this SIR is happening after a long gap of twenty two years. The current SIR is fundamentally different from all SIRs conducted in the past. It is a totally new type of SIR which entails a complete reconstruction of the entire electoral roll”.
The Association for Democratic Reforms also holds that “Bihar is a state with high poverty and migration rates where many lack access to documents like birth certificates or parental records, and as per estimates, over 3 crore voters and more particularly from marginalised communities (such as SC, STs and migrant workers) could be excluded from voting due to the stringent requirements as mentioned in the SIR order.”
The Muslims of the Seemanchal region comprising Purnia, Katihar, Kishanganj, Supaul and Araria districts are scared of their future. The pasmanda Muslims, poor and marginalised would be worst affected at this move. Meanwhile Independent MP from Purnia Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav has called upon the people to boycott EC and “not to cooperate with BLOs. The constituents of INDIA bloc feel the EC drive is the part of “a sinister design to implement the RSS agenda”. Meanwhile Bihar Mahagathbandhan has also given a call for Bihar Bandh on July 9 on the issue. (IPA Service)
Election Commission Violates Its Core Constitutional Responsibility, Acts Whimsically 