A seminar titled "Organised Assault on the Constitution, Voter Disenfranchisement in Bihar, and India’s Response" was held today at the Mahendra Singh Bhavan, the state office of the CPI (ML) Liberation in Ranchi on 7 July, to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Father Stan Swamy. The event brought together social and political activists, intellectuals, and representatives from student and youth organisations. It was moderated by activist Nandita Bhattacharya.
Speakers at the seminar asserted that since 2014, there has been a systematic attack on the spirit of the Indian Constitution and its institutions. The Election Commission, once regarded as an impartial and independent body, has now come under the influence of the ruling regime. The ongoing voter revision process in Bihar has effectively turned into a campaign of “voter disenfranchisement”, targeting the poor, Dalits, nomadic communities, and migrant workers. They are being asked to produce documents that a large section of citizens simply do not possess. This, speakers argued, is not only an attempt to strip people of their voting rights but also a broader assault on citizenship itself.
They further said that the BJP government is persistently eroding the foundational values of the Constitution - socialism, secularism, equality, and social justice. Measures such as the NRC, amendments to citizenship laws, dilution of forest rights, rollback of labour protections, and the imposition of the new education policy were cited as examples of unconstitutional governance. The recent demand to remove the words “socialism” and “secularism” from the Preamble clearly reveals the ruling dispensation’s intention to take the country backward, towards a caste-based social order rooted in Manusmriti.
Remembering Father Stan Swamy, speakers said he stood firmly with Adivasis and the oppressed till his last breath. At a time when the Constitution is under attack, his memory continues to inspire resistance and collective defence of democracy and people’s rights. They emphasised that it is now imperative for people to take to the streets to challenge anti-constitutional forces.
The seminar concluded with a collective resolve to fight a decisive battle for the release of all political prisoners and defence of democracy, and people’s rights in Bihar and across the country.
