'Forcefully Imposed' Versus 'Necessary Cleaning': Are There Rifts in BJP Ally JD(U) Over the Bihar SIR?
From left, JD(U)'s Sanjay Kumar Jha, Giridhari Yadav, and Sanjeev Singh. In the background is an image of the Bihar SIR uploaded by the Election Commission to X.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party's key ally in the Union and Bihar governments, the Janata Dal (United), has begun to display signs of discontent in its ranks over the Election Commission of India's 'special intensive revision' of rolls in Bihar.
While opposition parties have already been up in arms over it, JD(U) MP from Banka, Giridhari Yadav on Wednesday (July 23) said that it was his 'personal opinion' that the exercise had been "forcefully imposed' on Bihar and it took him 10 days to find his documents alone.
Speaking to The Wire, Yadav said that at least six months should have been given for the SIR.
'This is my personal opinion and not the party's. At least six months should have been given for the exercise. It took me 10 days myself to find my documents. During this time there is rain and flood in Bihar, many people live outside the state. How will they find the documents for this exercise?' he said to The Wire.
When asked if he had raised the matter with the party, Yadav reiterated that this was his personal opinion.
'What will I say to the party? This is my personal opinion,' he said.
Earlier on the same day, while speaking to a news agency outside parliament, Yadav criticised the SIR and said that the Election Commission has 'no practical knowledge.'
'The Election Commission has no practical knowledge. It neither knows the history nor the geography of Bihar. It took 10 days for me to collect all the documents. My son stays in America. How will he do the signatures in just a month? This (SIR) has been imposed on us forcefully. This is just like a Tughlaqi farmaan,' he said.
'At least six months' time should have been given for this. I am giving my personal opinion. It doesn't matter what the party is saying. This is the truth. If I can't say the truth, why have I become an MP?'
Yadav's remarks come amid ongoing opposition agitation in parliament, demanding a discussion on the Bihar SIR. Opposition MPs of the INDIA bloc continued to protest on the third day of the monsoon session, holding placards and banners, demanding that the exercise be stopped. Inside parliament, the first half of the day's proceedings saw adjournments amid loud protests from the opposition benches demanding a discussion on the issue, with many MPs holding placards and banners in the well of the House. The government is yet to yield to the opposition's demand, and has not admitted any of the adjournment notices submitted by opposition members demanding a discussion on the issue.
The exercise which requires voters to provide proof of citizenship as well as of their parents' has been criticised amid fears of mass exclusions and disenfranchisement. The ongoing SIR is due to be completed by July 25, two days from now. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 1. Voters will have until September 1 to make claims and objections and the final electoral roll is set to be published on September 30.
'Cleaning should be done'
While his party MP has raised concerns about the exercise, JD(U) working president and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha said that the Election Commission's exercise was a 'welcome move'.
'The purpose of conducting a survey was to avoid bogus voting in case of deaths, or if one person's name is in two places or if one is not a citizen of India. That is why this extensive revision is being done. This is a welcome move by the Election Commission. The cleaning should be done. Till yesterday 98% people applied to the voter list. So the Election Commission is doing the right thing and they have said no genuine voter will be left out,' he said.
On Wednesday, the Election Commission's daily release revealed a dramatic overnight surge in electors classified as deceased or or permanently shifted in Bihar. The figures showed that 8,37,262 voters were added to the 'not found at their addresses' category in a single day, while the total number of 'electors not found' jumped from 43.93 lakh on July 21 to 52.30 lakh on July 22.
'Migrants'
In Patna, JD(U) MLA Sanjeev Singh has also echoed concerns about migrant workers being excluded from the electoral rolls and said that in his constituency there are no Bangladeshi and Pakistanis, yet names have been excluded.
"Those who have been found deceased are genuine [exclusions]. But those who have not been found to be deceased, on what basis have their names been excluded? In my Vidhan Sabha [seat] several names have been excluded. There are no Bangladeshi or Pakistanis in our Vidhan Sabha [seat]. Despite this their names have been excluded,' he said to PTI.
'Those who are migrant workers, their names have been excluded. These people are not able to fill the forms online. They will not be able to give their vote. I want to request the Election Commission to help them. The revision should be done. But more time should have been given. If they started this in March and April these people could have filled their forms. These migrant workers will get holiday during Durga Puja and Chhatth Puja in October-November. By that time our elections will be over. What will they do then?'
Singh said that the exercise will not only affect voters of the NDA but other parties as well.
'This will lead to losses not just to NDA but to other parties also. I myself am worried. I have not been able to get in touch with our voters who live outside,' he said.
Find The Wire's coverage of the Bihar SIR here.
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