निरक्षरों के अंगूठा निशान को अंगूठा दिखाते यूपी के अफसर

क्या आपको पता है कि यूपी के अफसर निरक्षर लोगों के अंगूठा निशान को प्रामाणिक नहीं मानते? जी, ऐसा हुआ है। इसी आधार पर एक प्रत्याशी का नामांकन अवैध करार दिया गया। भूमिहीनों और मजदूरों को गोलबंद कर उनके अधिकारों के लिए लड़ने वाली पार्टी भाकपा (माले) के प्रत्याशी के साथ ऐसी ही हुआ है। अपने नेता का नामांकन खारिज किए जाने से नाराज गरीब और निरक्षर जनता ने चुनाव से पहले ही मतदान का अभियान शुरू कर दिया। इस बारे में डिटेल खबर पढ़ सकते हैं नीचे दी गई तस्वीर को क्लिक करके। सबसे नीचे की तस्वीर में समानांतर मतदान का दृश्य है। इस पूरे मामले के संबंध में जागरूक लोगों के बीच एक अभियान भी चलाया जा रहा है, जिसे बिलकुल नीचे प्रकाशित किया जा रहा है-

Dear Friend,

Please see the following report in the form of an appeal and let me know if you would like to endorse an appeal to the Chief Election Commission Officer to look into the activities of the administration in Robertsganj and saying that it is unconstitutional to deny illiterate people the right to choose their representatives and propose candidates as well .

Also please find enclosed a report by a Jansatta correspondent on the matter describing the huge turnout in the parallel polls that are being held--it is on page 7 of 10 April, 2009 edition. Please do try to carry news-reports of this matter, in your newspapers/ blogs/ television also.

In solidarity,
Radhika Menon
radhikamenon1@gmail.com
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for Urgent attention : Lok Sabha 2009:

Robertsganj: Denying illiterate people the right to choose their representatives, after having stolen their forest rights and public funds.

In a gross violation of the democratic rights of the large mass of people who are illiterate in India and showing utter contempt for their right to elect their own representatives, in Robertsganj, in Sonebhadra district of Uttar Pradesh the candidature of 6 SC-ST candidates have been cancelled only for having proposers who put thumb impressions.

It must be noted that if there is such a high illiteracy levels amongst the dalit adivasi population, the ruling class of this country is singularly responsible for it which has denied the people the right to equitable education. Now after having done that , it is usurping the democratic rights of illiterate people by not recognizing their electoral interventions. In Robertsganj, this is being done after failing to terrorise the people the usual police machinery, assaults, and intimidation. Worse, the administrative machinery in the area is infact trying to forcibly impose candidates on the people.

Amongst the candidates whose candidature has been cancelled, it is that of Jitu Kol, the CPIML candidate. This is an established area of CPIML’s struggle and has been exposing and resisting the scams related to NREGA and forest rights, theft of public funds, feudal and state atrocities(The administration has classified this region as being Naxal affected and has made it a practice to harass tribals going about their daily lives). All this has undoubtedly made it inconvenient and difficult for the ruling class to pursue its loot and terror in the area. And making the excuse of two women proposers who had put their thumb impressions, it has rejected Kol’s candidature.

The case

Take the procedure adopted for the violation in Kol’s case and what becomes evident is the routines of the violation of the democratic rights of the poor, dalits and adivasis:

· Kol submitted his nomination paper on the prescribed form with signatures of 8 proposers and thumb impressions of two other proposers. The women put their impressions in the presence of the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) who was the authorized officer incharge. The ARO accepted it as per the technical standpoint (chapter V, paragraph No 15.1, p47 of pdf format of the handbook for returning officers available at ECI’s website)

· No communication was made on the day by ARO about any technical flaws after examining the papers.

· Subsequently the Returning officer, Pandhari Yadav, on the final day of scrutiny of the papers summarily rejected the papers arbitrarily, violating the code that there is a presumption of validity unless contrary and if there is doubt , the benefit of doubt should go to the candidate(Chapter VI, para7) saying the ARO had not signed alongside the thumb impression to identify them.

· Note that it was the ARO who accepted the papers, but the burden of the administration’s irresponsibility was passed on to the candidate and Jitu Kol’s nomination was cancelled.

· The same procedure was followed in others cases as well.

The people in the area have come up with their own modes of protest and a parallel election called ‘Put your thumb impression and Save democracy campaign',is being organised by CPIML, a photograph of which I am attaching.

Demand

However what is important is that this violation of the rights of the poor and the illiterate to choose their representatives be not allowed and the candidates whose nominations have been cancelled for the thumb impressions be allowed to contest and the administration take responsibility for its act instead of slapping it on the candidates.

The administration in the meantime has been threatening to invoke National Security Act(NSA), if protest programmes (which have all been peaceful ) continue. As you know disallowing peaceful protest programmes as well as invoking NSA on these grounds is violative of the rights of the people. The police since April 8 have also been raiding the homes of the protestors without arrest warrants at nights. After having denied illiterate people the right to choose their representatives, now will the 15th Lok Sabha elections be conducted in Robertsganj in this manner?