SIR in Bengal done in hurry, risks democratic participation: Sen

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has voiced deep unease over the SIR process in West Bengal, warning that the exercise is being conducted with “undue haste” and may jeopardise democratic participation, particularly with the assembly elections approaching in a few months.

The economist, speaking to PTI from Boston, reflected on the democratic value of electoral roll revisions and the circumstances under which they can strengthen voting rights.

He stressed that such an exercise must be conducted with care and adequate time, which he believes are “missing” in Bengal’s case.

“A thorough review of electoral rolls done carefully with adequate time can be a good democratic procedure, but this is not what is happening in West Bengal at this time,” Sen said.

“The SIR is being done in a hurry, with inadequate time for people with voting rights to have sufficient opportunity to submit documents to vindicate their entitlement to vote in the coming assembly elections. This is both unjust to the electorate and unfair to Indian democracy,” he said.

Speaking of his experience during the special intensive revision in Bengal, Sen said time pressure was evident even among poll officials.

Sometimes, the officials of the Election Commission themselves seem to lack enough time.

“When they questioned my right to vote from my home constituency in Santiniketan “from where I have voted earlier, and where my name, address and other details are registered in official records “they questioned me about my deceased mother’s age at my date of birth, even though, as a voter herself, my mother’s details, like mine, were stored also in their own official records,” he said.

The celebrated economist described the documentation challenges he encountered, noting that these difficulties are common for many Indians born in rural areas.

“Like many Indian citizens born in rural India (I was born in the then village of Santiniketan), I do not have a birth certificate, and my eligibility to vote required further paperwork to be presented on my behalf,” he said.

Although the issue was eventually resolved, Sen expressed concern for citizens who lack similar assistance.

“Even though I could happily say (like the Beatles)” ‘Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends’ “I worried about others who do not have so many loyal friends. My friends helped me to get through the rigid gates of the formidable EC,” he said.

Sen was summoned for a hearing after a “logical discrepancy” was flagged over an age difference between him and his mother.

Asked whether the SIR could give advantage to any party in Bengal, Sen said he could not offer a definitive assessment.

“I am not an election expert, so I cannot answer the question with certainty. I have been told by those who seem to know more, that the BJP will benefit from the under-accounting.

“I don’t know whether that is true, but the real point is that the EC should not insist on a faulty arrangement and force our proud democracy to commit an unnecessary error, no matter who benefits,” he said.

On the sections most vulnerable to being excluded during the SIR, Sen pointed to the structural disadvantages faced by the poor.

“An obvious answer must be the underprivileged and the poor. The documents needed for being allowed into the new electoral roll are often difficult to obtain for the underdogs of society.

“The class bias that may show up in the necessary requirement of getting and showing particular documents in order to qualify to enter the new voters’ list will tend to work against the indigent,” Sen said.

He also flagged concerns about the broader climate in which voting rights are exercised.

“Another possibility to look into may relate to the difficulties that minority communities sometimes face in getting their rights, including voting rights, respected. Indian Muslims are sometimes relegated to disadvantaged positions through the activism of the recently bolstered Hindutva extremists. Some categories of Hindus also may face discrimination and targeting.”

Sen underscored the need for vigilance at the highest levels.

“The EC and the Supreme Court must make sure that no adult Indian citizen has difficulty to qualify for voting,” he said.

Sen said he remains keen to cast his vote in the upcoming assembly polls, subject to practical constraints.

“I would very much like to do that. It depends, however, on the exact date on which my constituency’s voting is fixed.”

He explained that his professional commitments abroad often require careful coordination.

“As a Professor at Harvard University, I have duties I cannot escape at Cambridge, Massachusetts, and as a Former Master of Trinity College in Cambridge, England, I have other duties there,” Sen said.

He also recalled an earlier instance that demonstrated his commitment to voting.

“I have to try to carry out all my obligations, including casting my vote in Santiniketan. On one previous occasion, I had to travel rapidly from Cambridge to London, to Delhi, to Kolkata, to Santiniketan, to Kolkata, to Delhi, to London, to Cambridge, all within 48 hours.”

Reflecting on age, Sen concluded on a contemplative note.

“But I am 92 now — a little more elderly. I was then only around 82 years in age. During the journey, I could re-read an old book of Rabindranath where he explained why he was proud to be a product of three cultures — Hindu, Muslim and European. I hope to be able to think about Tagore’s explanation this time also — if I manage to do what I should, if I could,” he said.