The INDIA bloc will take its fight against the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision of the voter list in Bihar to the streets on 9 July by participating in the Bharat Bandh called by the Left parties.
The nationwide strike was called by the Left parties to highlight the law-and-order situation in Bihar and the problem of workers.
Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav made the announcement after meeting the Election Commissioner of Bihar in Patna on Friday.
Tejashwi Yadav, who led a delegation of the India Alliance leaders, questioned the ECI’s decision to ask every resident of Bihar to prove his citizenship. “The demand that only people of Bihar need to provide proof of citizenship is suspicious and suggests a larger conspiracy. I urge everyone to come out on the street on 9 July and support our fight against this injustice,” he said.
He also challenged the Election Commission of India’s decision to approve only 11 documents to ascertain a voter’s eligibility and asked the EC to prove its constitutional and legal basis.
The RJD leader asked, “If the list of documents has been prepared by administrative order or internal guideline, is it appropriate to grant it such sweeping authority over democratic processes and civil rights? The Election Commission must explicitly clarify the legal basis – the specific law or clause – used to select these 11 documents.”
He said the rejection of government-issued IDs like Aadhaar, ration cards, and MNREGA job cards during voter list revisions is puzzling.
Tejashwi said two-three months ago his wife got registered as a voter here on the basis of an Aadhaar card. Now, the same document is declared invalid by the same institution. “The Aadhaar card application process itself demands rigorous proof of identity and residence, including biometric data. This inconsistency raises the question: why would the government reject the very IDs it meticulously verifies,” he said.