It has recently been announced by Gujarat folk artist and Padma Shri awardee Mir Haji Kasam Rathod that a clerical mistake had caused a proposal to remove his name off the voter list in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Confusion that ensued was caused by a discrepancy between the official records according to Rathod who was commonly referred to as Haji Ramakdu because of his dholak performances. My name is listed as Mir Haji Kasam in all the other documents such as my passport. It was only on the card of election that it was written Rathod Haji Kasam… this made a confusion. This has been addressed and Junagadh collectorate office approached me and corrected the mistake he said.
The scandal started when a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor filed Form 7 requesting the removal of Rathod and his family off the voter list on grounds of residence and documentation discrepancies. The relocation caused a lot of outrage and claims of anomalies in SIR process. Rathod, 74, has toured and toured around India and in other countries, and he is considered one of the many faces of Gujarati folk music and the Padma Shri award on the eve of the Republic Day was a source of pride to the state.
Gujarat Congress leader Manish Doshi condemned the act terming it as a case of gross lapses during the voter list revision procedure. Haji Bhai has made a name throughout the nation and the continent through his art. To Gujarati people, it gives them a sense of pride when a state native is awarded Padma. Doshi opined that the filing of Form 7 requesting his removal off the voter list was the most irregular.
This problem has been corrected and Rathod has been restored back to his name but the event teaches us that when updating their voter lists, care should be taken to ensure that they are properly checked so that such mistakes can be avoided not only to well known citizens but to citizens in general.
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