JAIPUR: While Rajasthan gears up for the Assembly elections, several civil society groups have started a 15-day ‘People Watch’ campaign at the Shaheed Smarak in the city. Launched on October 15, the campaign — Suchana Evam Rojgar Adhikar Abhiyaan (SR Abhiyan) — is sensitising people about their rights and the responsibilities of political parties.
Already, election watchdog Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), along with the SR Abhiyan and the Rajasthan Election Watch, has released a report on the performance of the MLAs of 14 constituencies.
It states that these legislators did not fulfill the promises they had made and also did not raise appropriate questions in the state’s Assembly.
The groups are also asking political parties to choose candidates with a clean image. Major General (retd) Anil Verma of the National Election Watch said two of the seven independent MLAs in the fray are facing criminal cases such as attempt to murder, rape or kidnapping.
Activist Nikhil Dey of the SR Abhiyan cited the case of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kanwar Lal Meena who had, during the panchayat elections in 2005, allegedly threatened a returning officer with a gun for a re-election. The SR Abhiyan has written to BJP president Amit Shah saying Meena must not get a ticket.
The groups have also raised concerns over increasing cases of hate crimes in the state. They are demanding a law against crimes of such a nature. Quoting an Amnesty International report, Social activist Shankar Singh said, “Our data says the state recorded 18 incidents of hate crimes in 2017 and 10 in 2016. It speaks a lot about the BJP government, which has failed to provide any relief... ”
An accountability law for those MLAs who don’t work is also one of the key demands of the movement. “If NREGA labourers don’t work, they are penalized. But, there is no penalty imposed on a government official or an MLA who doesn’t work...” said Renuka Pamecha of the Rajasthan Election Watch.