Why SIR in Kerala? What It Tells?

[Sukla Sen]

'Political parties in Kerala raise concerns over special intensive revision, urge ECI to defer SIR until after local body polls'

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/political-parties-in-kerala-raise-concerns-over-special-intensive-revision-sir-at-meeting-called-by-chief-electoral-officer-urge-eci-to-postpone-sir-until-after-the-local-body-polls/article70073423.ece>

It can hardly be anybody's case that Kerala is inundated with "infiltrators"!

Yet, the ECI is apparently bent upon going ahead despite opposition by the main political parties in the state.

Presumably, in order to legitimise its purported all-India drive to strip the poor and marginalised in general and the minorities in particular of their basic voting rights. By asking for documents which only few of them are expected to have.

It's, in its essence, an attempted tectonic, even if unannounced, shift from universal franchise to limited franchise -- somewhat similar to what we had under the British colonial rulers.

That's obviously meant to have a telling impact on the electoral outcomes now onwards.

But, that's not all. The loss of voting rights would, in all probability, for too many in the coming days turn out to be a prelude to the (utterly nightmarish) loss of citizenship itself.

(Here's a representative sample of pronouncements from (A) the ECI -- flagging the near to "clean" the voters' lists of "non-citizens", as opposed to "eligible citizens" -- and (B) the Government/BJP leaders -- straightaway raising the scare of "infiltrators" in order to justify the SIR:

A.  I. <https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2139342>.

II. <https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2140374>.

B.

I. <https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/opposition-in-bihar-trying-to-encourage-infiltration-alleges-home-minister-amit-shah/articleshow/123983700.cms>.

II. <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/should-names-of-infiltrators-not-be-removed-from-voter-list-amit-shah-slams-rahul-over-bihar-sir-101754648628672.html>.

III. <https://m.economictimes.com/news/elections/assembly-elections/bihar/sir-to-remove-impurities-from-bihar-voters-list-rahul-lalu-want-to-protect-infiltrators-amit-shah/articleshow/123977927.cms>.

IV. <https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/pm-modi-announces-demography-mission-to-counter-infiltration-in-border-areas-what-it-means-13546293.html>.

V. <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/infiltrators-have-to-go-pm-modi-targets-congress-rjd-hails-role-of-mothers-sisters/articleshow/123901075.cms>.)

The justice delivery mechanism appears to be more interested in being on the right side of the powers that be.

The coming 7th is the next hearing of the Bihar SIR case in the Supreme Court.

Let's see what happens then.

Apart from Bihar, it'll likely have a crucial bearing on the shape of the SIR programme all over India.

Regardless, a massive and vigorous public pushback against the fiendish move already underway is very much called for.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty/democracy. It doesn't come too cheap.

There's just no getting away from that.

Peace Is Doable