Is Democracy a REALITY ???!!!!!!!!!

"Once again disabled electorates of Karnataka get betrayed"

People with disabilities have been discriminated, ignored and pushed out of the so called mainstream since the time immemorial is an established fact and bitter reality of the human society. This inhuman, cruel and brutal history has been repeated once again on 10^th May 2008 in Karnataka.

Karnataka Angavikalara Rajya Okkoota-KARO [Karnataka Federation of Disabled] as a precautionary measure met the Mr. Vidyashankar, State Chief Electoral Officer-SCEO of Karnataka on Wed, April 9, 2008 and issued a ultimatum urging him to ensure the entire voting process including, Electronic Voting Machine-EVM, poling station and model ballot paper is fully accessible to people with all category of impairments. SCEO was sensitive and responded positively and assured the delegation of KARO to make the entire voting process accessible including Braille marking on 50000 EVMs. This news was reported in many news papers on Thu 4/10/2008.

But the reality was quite opposite, shameful, betrayal, cheating and Hippocratic. The first phase elections of Karnataka legislative assembly held on 10^th May 2008, thousands of disabled voters rushed to the respective poling stations with excitement and joy to cost their vote with dignity maintaining secrecy of the ballot. The conditions at the poling stations were as usual inaccessible and insensitive with no change. The assurances of SCEO and Chief Election Commissioner-CEC of India were proved false and just thrown on the air with out implementing on the ground. As a result of this hundreds of disabled voters refused to vote and returned back to homes with anger and humiliation. Mr. Paul Ramanathan, KARO Secretary along with few members visited many poling stations with optimism in search of an accessible single poling station but unfortunately hard reality was entirely different. There were no ramps to climb stares, no Braille marking on EVMs, no sensitive poling officers and no proper guidance. They visited Poling station No. 130/A JP Nagar II Phase, 115 JP Nagar III Phase, 70 JP Nagar 8^th Phase, 72 Thavrekere so on and so forth.

"This act of CEO and CEC is nothing but the contempt of court and betrayal". " March 2004 just before the general elections, in response to a petition filed by disabled rights group Delhi Supreme Court-SC of India in its interim judgment directed the CEC to ensure full and complete accessibility of voting process in order to enable disabled electorates to cost their right to vote with dignity and maintaining the secrecy by adhering the provisions of Persons with disabilities act 1995".

Same response from the political parties also.

"How many more Centuries, Decades, and years are required to The democratic republic of India to enable its legitimate disabled citizens to exercise their right to vote with dignity?????!!!!"

Paul Ramanathan

Secretary, KARO.