Is Manipur ready for a ‘popular government' yet?
At the same time, the state is again in turmoil over an incident in Gwaltabi village where security forces allegedly asked for the state's name on a bus to be covered up. Angry protesters locked up central government offices, including the office of the Election Commission, and defaced government signboards as part of a state-wide agitation.
What is behind the latest episode of civil unrest? What has been the impact of the President's Rule so far? And what are the chances of a 'popular' government being formed in the current scenario?
Host: G Sampath
Guest: Abhinay Lakshman from The Hindu's Delhi Bureau.
Edited by Jude Francis Weston
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Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
EC not giving us time for meeting: Tejashwi
Patna: Leader of opposition in the state assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav , on Tuesday accused the Election Commission of frequently changing guidelines regarding the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the state. He alleged that they ( RJD ) asked for a meeting with the poll body several times in the past week but received no response till date. Addressing reporters here, Tejashwi said after a close analysis of the SIR, it appears that the EC is acting at the behest of a particular party. He alleged that the EC itself looks confused given the way it has been making changes in its guidelines at repeated intervals. "We sought an appointment for a meeting with the EC several times in the past. Even on Monday, we asked for it but got no response," Tejashwi said on Tuesday. He was accompanied by state Congress president Rajesh Kumar and several senior RJD leaders. Stating that the poll body should have taken all parties into confidence before launching SIR ahead of the assembly polls, the RJD leader wondered about the "mysterious silence" of the EC, asking the latter to give a point-by-point reply to the issues raised by them. Tejashwi said the poll body must come forward to end the confusion gripping the minds of the common people without any delay. Asking the EC to immediately "revoke all arbitrary orders and issue a final, clear, and simple directive", Tejashwi sought the elimination of the requirement of documents for the SIR process. Questioning the launch of SIR during the monsoon, Tejashwi alleged that 90% of people in the state are of the opinion that the EC is acting to "delete the names of voters from booths where the opposition parties are in a strong position after identifying those booths." He alleged that dalits, adivasis, OBC/EBC, and minority class voters, could be the worst victims of the EC's current drive since the majority migrant workers from Bihar come from these communities. "If the EC really wants to weed out fake voters from the electoral rolls, it must have launched the exercise just after the conclusion of Lok Sabha polls," he said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Reality check: many Bihar voters cannot read Special Intensive Revision forms, do not have any documents listed by ECI
Two days ago, Chandra Mohan Singh, 65, a resident of Mahmada village in Bihar's Saran district and a voter from booth no. 240, was given a form for the special intensive revision of the State's electoral rolls. It still remains blank. Asked about the purpose of the form, he says, 'It is given to me to find out whether I am dead or alive.' This is the ground reality of the SIR exercise in the villages surrounding Chapra town, headquarters of the Saran district. Most voters who spoke to The Hindu are not even aware of the exercise to revise electoral rolls from scratch ahead of the State Assembly elections, slated to take place by the end of the year. Most villagers have been given enumeration forms, distributed by booth level officers (BLOs), but are not literate enough to understand and fill them, and many do not have a single document of the 11 options listed by the Election Commission. No valid documents No one in Mr. Singh's family, all members of the Kushwaha community, is able to read the forms which have been given only to the four members born before 1987. His wife, Ramdai Devi, 58, says, 'I don't know what this is. BLO sahab has asked me to fill it up and submit it as soon as possible. I don't know what to fill. I asked my son but he is also not able to understand it.' Mr. Singh says he will take someone's help to fill up the form, but the bigger challenge is the documents which he has been asked to furnished to prove his date and place of birth to validate his spot on the electoral roll. 'Except Aadhaar card and ration card, I don't have any other documents,' he says. Another village resident Yogendra Baitha proudly flaunts his possession of an Aadhaar card, PAN card, voter identity card, driving licence, and bank passbook. Unfortunately, none of them are acceptable for the SIR process. 'Then what kind of documents are these people looking for? If I apply for a birth certificate or caste certificate to prove that I belong to the Scheduled Caste, I don't think I will get it before July 26, which is the deadline [for the SIR],' says Mr. Baitha, standing outside his unfinished house. Aadhaar not included According to the Election Commission, those born before July 1, 1987 must produce a document establishing their own date and place of birth, while those born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004 must produce such documents for themselves and one of their parents, while those born after December 2, 2004 must produce documents for themselves and both parents. The documents being accepted are include birth certificates, passports, education certificates, permanent residence, forest rights, and caste certificates, the National Register of Citizens, family register prepared by State and local authorities, land or house allotment certificates issued by the government, as well as documents issued to government employees or pensioners, and other documents issued by a range of public authorities before 1967. The Aadhaar card is the most common identity card held by villagers as it is used to obtain all government benefits, but it is not on the EC's list 'Will sit on dharna' Meena Devi, 66, says that the documents listed by the EC are not practical. 'If they want us to submit any documents mentioned, then they should open a separate counter in the block office from where we can get the documents,' she says. To get a birth certificate, for instance, one has to apply in the sub-divisional officer's office, then verification would be done by a circle officer, before the document is issued. Shiv Kumari Devi, 62, another villager from the same booth, was told her name would be removed from the voter list if she did not submit the required documents. 'How can anyone remove my name from the voters list? I voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, that time my name was valid, and now it will become invalid?' she demanded. Daulti Kumari, 26, is married to Rakesh Kumar Manjhi who resides in the Dalit Tola in Garkha block of booth number 239, and has been asked to submit documentary proof of her parents' date and place of birth. 'After marriage I have shifted to my in-laws' house and I don't have any documents of my parents,' she says. Kanti Devi, 47, from Dharampur village, a voter of booth number 271 under the Marhaura Assembly constituency says that she has been casting her vote in every election without any problems. 'What has happened suddenly? We do not know why this survey is going on. BLO has filled my form and asked me to submit some documents. Where will we get these documents? If my name is removed, then I will sit on dharna at the block office,' she warns. Our hands are tied: BLO Every polling booth has more than 1000 voters, and Mahmada panchayat has eight polling booths. The BLOs, who are the point persons in this exercise, admit that many voters will not be able to meet the requirements. Dinesh Kumar BLO of booth number 240 said that there is a need to spread awareness about the SIR through loudspeaker, television and radio campaigns and advertisements. 'We are following the instructions of the EC but our hands are also tied. It is not possible to fill the form of every voter and help them personally,' says Mr. Kumar, adding that he can only guide voters on how to go ahead. Another BLO, Bhupendra Kumar of booth number 239, expressed apprehension that many voters may be removed if they fail to submit the documents. Ugrin Mahto, BLO of booth number 271 says he is just following the instructions of the EC, but there are people asking him a lot of questions. For instance, some voters' parents have passed away, leaving BLOs uncertain to how to guide voters in the SIR process.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
MHA appeals against J&K HC order to repatriate housewife deported to Pakistan after 38 years in India on long-term visa
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has appealed against an order of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court to repatriate Rakshanda Rashid, a 62-year-old housewife who was deported to Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack despite having lived in India on a long-term visa for almost four decades. The MHA filed a Letters Patent Appeal before a division bench of the High Court, against a June 6 order by Justice Rahul Bharti who had directed the Union Home Secretary to bring Ms. Rashid back to India within ten days. On Tuesday, Justice Bharti sought compliance from the MHA and gave the Ministry another ten days to file its reply on the matter. Ms. Rashid's counsel Ankur Sharma told The Hindu that the judge insisted on compliance from the MHA, noting that there is no stay on the order yet, despite an appeal having been filed. The appeal will be heard by the Chief Justice's Bench on Wednesday. Long-term visa holder After the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack which left 26 people dead, the MHA cancelled the visas of all Pakistani citizens and asked them to leave the country by April 29. The order exempted those with long-term visas as well as Pakistani women married to Indian citizens. Ms. Rashid fell in both categories, being a Pakistani citizen married to an Indian, living in Jammu for the past 38 years on a long-term visa which was renewed annually. She had applied for Indian citizenship in 1996 but the request was yet to be processed. 'Distorted facts' Ms. Rashid's daughter Fatima Sheikh said that her mother was forced out of India on April 28 by the police by 'distorting facts.' 'We are sad about the Pahalgam terror attack but on what basis was my mother expelled from India? We had applied for a long-term visa extension in January, yet the 'leave India' notice served by police said that we applied on March 8. On April 26, I got an e-mail from the [Foreigners Regional Registration Office] FRRO that the application was being processed, yet she is deported on April 28. On May 9, I again got an e-mail that the application had gone to higher authorities for approval,' Ms. Sheikh said. 'Rushed deportation' On April 28, police officials showed up outside their house at 7 a.m. and took Ms. Rashid to the Attari border checkpoint in Punjab from where she was deported, her daughter said. 'They did not let us even speak to our lawyers. They were in such a hurry to deport her. All her life she has lived in Jammu. How will she survive in Pakistan? It is so expensive there, she has no one there,' Ms. Sheikh said, adding that her mother has no relatives in Pakistan. For the past three months, Ms. Rashid has been living alone in a small hotel and has no money on her, she said. As reported by The Hindu on June 23, Justice Bharti had ordered the Union Home Secretary to 'retrieve' the petitioner from Pakistan 'given the exceptional nature of facts and circumstances of the case'. He added: 'Human rights are the most sacrosanct component of a human life and, therefore, there are occasions when a constitutional court is supposed to come up with SOS-like indulgence, notwithstanding the merits and demerits of a case.'
