AIDWA organised a convention “A Disaster for Local Democracy: A Convention Against Haryana Panchayat Raj Amendment Act” at Constitution Club, New Delhi today. This convention of social workers and mass organisation activists, legal luminaries, academicians, political personalities and from other spheres of society expressed its strong disapproval and outright rejection of the highly regressive disqualifications for contesting Panchayat Elections in Haryana and Rajasthan. Hundreds of people, mainly women from Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi participated in the Convention.
Brinda Karat, Patron AIDWA, Subhashini Ali, Vice President, AIDWA, Kirti Singh, Convenor, Legal Cell of AIDWA, Manishankar Aiyar, MP, Rajya Sabha, George Mathew, Chairperson, ISS, Inderjit Singh, AIKS President, Haryana, Naurti from MKSS, Rajasthan, Sheela from Sakriya, Tara Dhayal, Suresh, Sartaj, and Preet spoke on the occasion. A resolution to was placed by Jagmati Sangwan, General Secretary Prof. Prem Chaudhary presided over the function and Sehba Farooqui conducted the proceedings.
Placing the resolution Jagmati Sangwan spoke about the struggle we have been waging to get the Act annulled. She denounced state repression in JNU and the onslaught on democratic institutions.
Speaking on the occasion Brinda Karat asked if education has to be a qualifying criterion for contesting Panchayat elections what are the criteria for central ministers. Given the class, caste and gender bias 50% reservation for women has now become a mockery of reservation, she said. She said the running thread between the assault on JNU and the regressive Act is that whoever opposes or challenges the establishment will be attacked. This essentially is attack on democracy.
Subhashini Ali said on the one hand Rajasthan and Haryana Governments have made education a basis for disqualification in elections and on the other hand they are closing down primary schools. She called upon the people not to expect from either the government or the courts but to become aware of and fight for democratic rights.
Kirti Singh who has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court lamented that the Supreme Court did not take into account our arguments and the statistics that we provided.
George Mathew said this is done by enemies of power to the people. Mani Shankar Aiyer said the disqualification that could be enacted should not contravene the Representation of People Act, 1951.
Inderjit Singh said that when the poor started asserting themselves the rich felt the need for regressive steps to control them.
Suresh, Sheela and Tara Dhayal observed that the non-literate were deprived of education because their schools were as far from their homes as 15-20 km.
Naurti said the rich and the powerful do not abide by rules and regulation but impose conditions depriving the poor. Sartaj said she could not contest because of the new amendments in the Act. Preet ji said as a result of the amendment Act 64% of people have now been deprived of their fundamental rights to contest elections.
Summing up the discussion, Prof Prem Chaudhury observed that the Establishment is wary of people’s power therefore they have sought to restrict the electoral pool.
The resolution was passed by consensus with a resolve to continue the struggle to stall the attack on democracy wherever it be – in Panchayats in Haryana and Rajasthan or in JNU.
