Kolkata: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has sharply criticized the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, calling it a rushed process that threatens democratic participation ahead of assembly elections. In an interview from Boston, the 92-year-old economist warned that the haste leaves insufficient time for voters to submit the required documents which may result in widespread disenfranchisement.
Drawing from his own experience vis-a-vis SIR scrutiny over a birth record discrepancy with his late mother, Sen highlighted time pressures even on Election Commission (EC) officials. “A thorough review done carefully with adequate time can be a good democratic procedure, but this is not what is happening in West Bengal,” he stated. He pointed out that rural-born citizens like himself often lack birth certificates, a hurdle amplified for the poor and underprivileged who face “structural disadvantage” in proving eligibility.
The SIR, launched by the EC to purge “unmapped” voters and verify 8 crore electors, has sparked chaos in West Bengal. Over 32 lakh names flagged initially, with 1 crore more summoned for hearings by February 14 – a deadline now under review for extension. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) accuses the BJP-backed ECI of targeting minorities to skew demographics favoring the opposition; BJP counters it’s cleaning fake voters planted by Mamata Banerjee-led state government.
Sen, while refraining from pinpointing to partisan gains, took note of reports suggesting BJP benefits from undercounting. “This is both unjust to the electorate and unfair to Indian democracy,” he asserted, urging a less faulty approach to avoid “unnecessary error.”
It is pertinent to mention that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had hit out at the EC for issuing notices to icons like Sen, terming it “shameful.”
