One crore people in Tamil Nadu will lose their right to vote

Certainly. Here is the exact content translated into English:

The Great Weapon of Equality: Why is the Right to Vote Under Attack? 4 Shocking Truths from MP Ravikumar's Speech

Voting is a simple act that we often take for granted. Yet, it is the greatest weapon of equality in our democracy. The polling booth is the only place where a millionaire and a daily wage labourer stand as perfectly equal. We often fail to appreciate this fundamental strength. But the warning being presented to us today is that the very root of this democracy is being eroded through a planned political strategy. There is a shocking revelation that nearly one crore people in Tamil Nadu are at risk of losing their voting rights. This article explores four crucial and alarming truths about our right to vote, based on the recent speech by Member of Parliament Ravikumar.

1. Your Right to Vote is Not a 'Fundamental Right,' But Merely a Legal Right!

The first shock is that, although our right to vote is granted by the Indian Constitution, it is not a 'Fundamental Right.' The legal luminary Ambedkar strongly argued in the Constituent Assembly that the right to vote must be included in the list of Fundamental Rights.

Why did he insist on this? He warned, even then, that a future government could easily snatch away the people's voting rights through a simple "executive order." If the right to vote were a Fundamental Right, no government could easily remove it. However, the Sanatana forces within the then-Congress party, which included leaders like Sardar Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru, did not accept it. As a result, the right to vote only became a Constitutional Right. This historical decision is what has opened the door to the current attempts to revoke voting rights.

"He said this right to vote must be included as a Fundamental Right, otherwise in the future, a simple administrative order, an executive order, will be passed to snatch away the people's right to vote."

2. 'One Person, One Vote' is Not Just an Election Slogan; It is the Practical Embodiment of Equality

The Constitution brought by Ambedkar established the principle of equality before the law, in direct opposition to the Manusmriti, which spoke of inequality based on birth. How does this equality manifest, not just on paper, but in real life? That is the philosophy of "one person, one vote, one value."

We can understand the power of this philosophy through a simple example. India's greatest billionaires, Ambani or Adani, have only one vote. The daily wage worker struggling in a village also has the exact same one vote. The value of both their votes is identical. This practical reality makes the equality stated in the Constitution real. This is the core reason why the RSS, the parent organisation of the ruling party, rejects the Constitution that states everyone is equal. Therefore, those who seek to undermine this equality will first target the right to vote, which is its foundation.

"It is this right to vote that practically implements the concept of equality mentioned in the Constitution. In practice, this right to vote establishes equality."

3. Ambedkar Fought for Your Voting Right 100 Years Ago

The right to vote that we use so casually today was not achieved overnight. A century of struggle lies behind it. In 1919, at the age of 28, Ambedkar appeared before the Southborough Committee and first argued for the provision of Universal Adult Franchise in India.

His foresight that people from all segments of society must participate in the electoral process is the foundation of the democracy we enjoy today. The same Ambedkar who advocated for the right to vote for all 100 years ago also foresaw and warned of how vulnerable that right was.

4. Revocation of Voting Rights is Not Accidental; It Targets Specific Communities

The voter list verification process, "SIR" (Special Intensive Revision), is not an accidental event happening for administrative convenience; it is a tool to target specific communities and snatch away their voting rights. The communities he lists as being particularly affected by this action are:

• Scheduled Caste people

• Tribal people

• Minority people (especially Muslims)

• Migrant workers

He presents this accusation with some concrete examples. In the Villupuram district, it is reported that the verification forms did not reach the Scheduled Caste and Tribal communities. Furthermore, in Kottakuppam, a municipality in Tamil Nadu with a high Muslim population (40% of the population), out of the 5,000 people who could not be given forms, about 2,500 were Muslims working in other towns. It becomes very easy to remove them from the list, citing that they are not present at their address. This appears to be a planned deletion rather than an accidental error.

Conclusion: Whose Responsibility is it to Protect the Foundation of Equality?

The right to vote is not merely the act of casting a ballot; it is the practical embodiment of the equality granted to us by the Constitution. That right is now facing a planned, systemic threat. To counter this danger, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi has filed a case in the Supreme Court requesting a stay on this SIR process in Tamil Nadu. History teaches us that if we lose the right to vote, we will gradually lose all other rights.