Opposition Chases the SIR Mirage in Parliament

Just days ahead of the winter session of Parliament, the Election Commission issued a short communication stating that it has received no request for electronic voting machine (EVM) verification in any of the 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar and the eight assembly constituencies where by-polls were held after expiration of seven days of the results. Mandatory of verification of VVPAT(voter verified paper audit trail) did not reveal a single discrepancy and there were “zero appeals” against wrongful inclusion or exclusion of any voter after the SIR and, lastly, no requests for a re-poll by any of the 2,616 candidates or 12 recognised political parties.

But such is the way politics happens, the opening day of the winter session – and perhaps many more – was drowned out by the INDIA block demand that the SIR and the EC be discussed in the two Houses. It is a given that the first day or week of a Parliament session is “sacrificed” at the altar of Opposition protests but the proceedings on Monday seemed a seamless continuation of the previous session. It is almost the entire Bihar election, which was conducted flawlessly with any significant evidence that SIR was an issue with voters, did not happen. Were we living in an alternate universe where facts and events were warped beyond recognition?

Making EC the fall guy

Rather than acknowledging that the handful of six seats it won in constituencies with the help of its senior ally Rashtriya Janata Party (RJD), Congress lost no time in blaming the EC and SIT for its woeful performance. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Trinamool Congress face elections next year in March-April and they have vociferously taken up SIR accusing the EC of working in cahoots with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deleting Muslim voters from the electoral rolls. Uttar Pradesh goes to polls in 2027 but Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, while filling out his voter details diligently, has levelled similar accusations.

Voter interviews in Bihar ahead of the election were revealing. SIR did not figure as a factor even among most Muslim electors who the RJD-Congress alliance sought to woo. They were, of course, voting for the Mahagathbandan (Grand Alliance) anyway, but SIR was hardly the reason. Like other voters in Bihar, they did not report instances of legitimate voters being struck off the roll. As for voters who the Grand Alliance hoped to wean away from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), they remained completely unimpressed and stuck to the ruling alliance. Since a considerable amount of energy was expended by the Grand Alliance in pursuing the SIR mirage, it is little wonder that NDA returned to office winning 202 of 243 seats.

Missing the woods for the trees

There were issues that might have yielded better returns for the Opposition such as pervasive unhappiness over a perceived rise in petty corruption and the lack of industry that meant jobs were scarce and out migration the norm. Yet, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Grand Alliance failed to hit the mark and was unable to erase deep-rooted fears about the return of “jungle raj” if the RJD were to be back in office. But all of this has not have the INDIA bloc any wiser as it plans to disrupt Parliament over SIR irrespective of the evidence on the ground.

Since the beginning of the 18^th Lok Sabha, the Opposition has sought to leverage its increased strength by disrupting Parliament. The sizeable numbers on the Opposition benches certainly make it possible for the INDIA allies to stall Parliament. Yet, continuous disruptions have not yielded expected political dividends going by elections in states like Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi and now Bihar. The NDA’s setbacks in Jharkhand are not attributable to the Opposition’s parliamentary tactics being more a result of BJP’s organisational weaknesses and coercive action by central agencies against chief minister Hemant Soren which possibly backfired.

It is telling that the INDIA bloc failed to seek a discussion on the United States decision to impose tariffs adding up to 50% on Indian exports despite the obvious implications for businesses and livelihood. The opposition leaders are well aware that the Modi government will not accept a discussion on SIR and EC. Not because it has anything to hide but doing so will expose the EC to slander and abuse to which it cannot respond. No responsible government will subject a constitutional authority to partisan attacks that can only harm the reputation of India’s democracy.