Kerala Assembly unanimously passes a resolution against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, citing risks to universal suffrage, potential exclusion of minorities, SC/STs, women, and poor families, and linking the move to the NRC and CAA.
Kerala Assembly (Photo Credits: ANI)
The Kerala Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and urged the Election Commission of India to desist from carrying out the move in a hasty manner.
The resolution said that SIR is being carried out to “indirectly implement the National Register of Citizens”.
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The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, under rule 118 of the procedure and conduct of business in the assembly, was passed with two minor amendments.
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“Implementing SIR in a hasty manner in poll- bound states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal when the Supreme Court is yet to decide on the Constitutional validity of the process cannot be seen as an innocent move,” the resolution said.
Stating that Kerala is facing local body polls soon and assembly elections thereafter, the resolution said that implementing SIR at such a juncture has ulterior motives.
The move to exclude voters who do not have documents to prove citizenship is a violation of Article 236 of the Constitution that ensures universal suffrage for citizens, the resolution said, adding the conditions laid down in SIR would result in minorities, SC/STs, women and poor families being excluded from the election process.
It also pointed out that SIR would be prone to misuse by those who are attempting to revive the Citizens Amendment Act (CAA) that decides citizenship on religious lines.
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