All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi has leveled serious allegations against the Election Commission, stating that the NRC (National Register of Citizens) is being implemented quietly before the Bihar assembly elections.
New Delhi: The political temperature has risen before the Bihar assembly elections, and in the midst of this, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has sparked a new debate by making a big accusation against the Election Commission. Owaisi claimed that the Election Commission is quietly implementing a process in Bihar on the lines of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which could affect the voting rights of lakhs of people.
Owaisi says that the Election Commission is taking such a step in the name of purifying the voter list, in which every citizen will have to show proof related to their birth and the birth of their parents. Especially those whose date of birth is before July 1987, they will have to present one of the 11 documents stating their date and place of birth.
A Major Challenge for Poor and Backward Areas
In a social media post, Owaisi warned that people living in poor and flood-affected areas like Seemanchal in Bihar are already struggling with poverty and unemployment. Most of the people there do not have birth certificates of their parents or other necessary documents. Demanding such documents from them is a ‘cruel joke’.
He wrote that according to estimates, only three-fourths of births are registered, that too many times with heavy errors in government documents. In such a situation, it is inhumane to demand the birth certificates of parents from the poor people who can barely afford two meals a day.
Strictness also on those born between 1987 and 2004
Owaisi further stated that if a person was born between 1987 and 2004, he will not only have to provide his birth certificate but also have to present a document related to the birth certificate of one of his parents. If one of the parents is not an Indian citizen, then they will also have to show documents like passport and visa.
Owaisi questioned that when the assembly elections are just a few months away, it is almost impossible to complete such a rigorous investigation process in a fair and transparent manner for such a large population.
Citing the Lal Babu Hussain Case
The AIMIM chief also cited the Supreme Court in support of his argument. He said that the Supreme Court had clearly stated in the Lal Babu Hussain case that a person's name cannot be removed from the voter list without a proper procedure. Owaisi wrote that if the Election Commission removes someone from the voter list, then it is necessary to give them a notice and an opportunity for a hearing first, otherwise it will be completely unconstitutional.
Owaisi expressed the possibility of weakening trust in the Election Commission. He said that if lakhs of people are deprived of voting due to such steps, then it will have a direct impact on the people's trust. Owaisi alleged that the Election Commission is trying to implement the NRC-like formula without a clear legal process, which will prove to be dangerous for democracy.
He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to direct the Election Commission to make any kind of citizenship verification process transparent and in accordance with the constitution so that no Indian citizen's rights are snatched away.
Voter Verification or NRC?
Although the Election Commission has not yet given any formal clarification on this issue, Owaisi's allegations have heated up the political atmosphere before the Bihar elections. There is also a heated debate on this issue on social media. Many people believe that some strict steps are necessary to correct the voter list, but leaders like Owaisi argue that this step could take the form of a controversial issue like NRC and will severely affect the poor.
In many areas of Bihar, including Seemanchal, the lack of paperwork is common due to floods, displacement and poverty. In such a situation, if the Election Commission does not show flexibility in its guidelines, there may be a possibility of lakhs of people's names being cut from the voter list.
