A delegation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits led by Dr Ramesh Raina held a meeting with Justice Mrs. Ranjana Desai, Chairperson Delimitation Commission.
The other members of the delegation were Mr. Sanjay Sapru, Mr. B B Bhat, Mr. Ashok Bhat and Mr. Rajiv Pandita.
“Dr. Ramesh Raina made the presentation before Commission by stating that the displaced Kashmiri Pandit Community was rendered as politically irrelevant which resulted in the community becoming an abandoned Child. Consequently, it became easy for anti-Kashmiri Pandit forces to kill them unsung and unwept and force an exodus on them. He made a brief mention of the electoral history of post-independent Kashmir, wherein the unfortunate people were gradually reduced as people of no significance,” statement reads.
The statement added, “Raina however, saw a ray of hope in the Delimitation Commission as an institution to address the issue of granting political representation by making them electorally relevant to the mainstream politics of the UT.”
Sanjay Sapru in his remarks draws the attention of the commission towards the Census of 2011, which he termed as far away from the truth as it has failed to enlist the actual numbers because of the wide dispersal of the community, the statement said.
Sh. B.B Bhat, another member of the delegation echoed the same sentiments and urged the commission to do justice with beleaguered Commission.
Dr. Ramesh Raina urged the Commission, “we seek institutional protection to safeguard the electoral prospects of the hapless minority now living in exile. With the Delimitation Commission in place, there exists a body that could be laying guiding parameters for providing representation to the unrepresented people of the place. This has become possible only after the passage of the Re-organization of J&K act of 2019, its implications for the restoration of faith and confidence in the displaced people have become more pronounced as there is a widespread belief that the discrimination against them will come to an end by a judicious delimitation process.”
“To rectify the non-representation, we, through the process of Delimitation, urge you to create a legitimate electoral space at all the conceivable areas of electoral activity of UT. Implicit in it is to exercise the power of the Commission to settle the politically unsettled concern of Kashmiri Pandits which means their rightful participation in the mainstream political life of the place through a guaranteed electoral mechanism,” statement said.
He ,in this regard drew her kind attention towards the Sangha Constituency of Sikkim which has no boundaries “The 32-Sangha Assembly constituency has no geographical boundary and it is only one-of-its-kind constituency in the country reserved for the monastic community (Sangha),” the office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Sikkim states on its website.Buddhist monks registered with 51 monasteries in the State are the only ones who can contest and cast their votes for the unique Assembly seat. R. Telang, CEO of Sikkim, said that the number of voters for the Sangha seat this year is 3,293, which includes 3,224 (monks) and 69 (nuns).
The statement said that the Provision for the nomination of three legislatures by Government of India to Puducherry Assembly are quoted to support delegations contention. They added, In Parliament also, the President can appoint 12 members to Rajya Sabha. These members enjoy the same voting rights as elected members, except that they can’t vote in the election of the President. Until last year, the President could also appoint two members to Lok Sabha from the Anglo-Indian community.
These members too had the right to vote on all matters, except the election of the President.
He also drew her attention to the recent Domiciliary laws that came into force has increased the community count and also the voting rights of the people to about 4 lacs and that lends more strength to our claim of political voice both in Parliament and the Legislature of UT, at least 4 -5 Seats in assembly & one in parliament commensurate with the mechanism evolved for the purpose.
They Urge immediate remedial measures and above-mentioned constitutional practices to be considered.
