Mumbai, Oct 2 (IANS) Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar on Friday said that the Election Commission has announced the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in a transparent manner and in accordance with a clearly defined procedure.
Political parties and citizens have also been informed about the process.
Therefore, there is no constitutional basis for holding an agitation in the name of SIR, he said, claiming that the agitation being carried out by the protest-driven CJP is nothing but a “grammar of anarchy”.
Speaking to reporters on the SIR process, Minister Shelar said that the Election Commission has announced the complete schedule and clearly laid out the procedure to be followed.
All political parties have been informed about the process.
The procedures relating to applications, claims and objections, hearings, and the required documents have also been clearly specified.
The Election Commission has informed citizens about the process through the media as well.
In such circumstances, he questioned why certain political parties and organisations were choosing to protest.
“If there are objections to any part of the process, they can be raised through constitutional and legal channels,” Minister Shelar said.
He added that there was an opportunity to present one’s case before the Election Commission and that judicial recourse was also available.
“When all these avenues are open, why is an attempt being made to create an atmosphere through agitation?” he asked.
He said that the SIR process has laid down the necessary safeguards to ensure that no eligible citizen’s name is deleted from the electoral rolls.
Those whose names are subject to any objection will also have an opportunity to present their case.
Therefore, the Opposition should not attempt to create confusion among citizens regarding an electoral process being implemented through lakhs of administrative officers and employees, he noted.
Minister Shelar said that the Congress and some other political parties have been repeatedly levelling allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the government on this issue.
However, he added that the Election Commission is an independent constitutional institution and that any questions regarding its procedures should be raised through the institutional mechanisms available.
“Mahamanav Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Ambedkar, in his speech to the Constituent Assembly on Nov 25, 1949, underlined the importance of constitutional methods,” he said.
Shelar added that Babasaheb had emphasised that resorting to unconstitutional methods when constitutional avenues are available amounts to a “grammar of anarchy”.
He remarked that Babasaheb’s words are particularly relevant in the present circumstances.
Minister Shelar said that while the right to protest is an integral part of a democracy, it is not appropriate to create distrust towards constitutional institutions through protests.
He appealed that if there are objections to the SIR process, they should certainly be raised through the constitutional mechanisms available.
He further claimed that the US President had praised India’s electoral process and that representatives from 22 countries had also appreciated it.
Whenever India’s electoral system and government receive appreciation at the international level, the Opposition stages protests against it and thereby brings disrepute to the country, Shelar alleged.
He said that the Election Commission is not questioned where the Opposition wins, but when the BJP wins, questions are raised against it.
Shelar alleged that an attempt was being made to hold an unconstitutional agitation at Shivaji Park under the banner of CJP with a political motive to push its own agenda.
“The agitation-driven CJP can never deliver justice to the people,” he stated.
–IANS
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