Seshan Makes Voter ID Mandatory for Future Elections
#memoriesfromdiaries #newspaperinlearning
30th January 1994
When the renowned Chinese traveller Hiuan Tsang (in the 6th Century A.D). passed through Poonch, he recorded that, Poonch was famous for graphics, fine tea, and good horses.
In 1947, however, during the partition, a few parts of this blessed land of Poonch went under the illegal occupation of Pakistan, while the rest became a constituent of Rajouri Poonch district. Pakistan has been illegally firing on the borders across Poonch ever since!
Now for FOUR EPIC-al news of the day – 30th January 1994 - exclusively from my personal diary entry, for us all -
Firstly, when T N Seshan, [MCC-ian and] Chief Election Commissioner announced that identity cards would be compulsory for all elections held on or after January 1, 1995, it was a rude jolt and a bolt from the blue for all and sundry!
Indeed, Photo identity cards became a reality in 1993, during his tenure, with the avowed aim of ‘completely rooting out the evil’ of bogus voters, he had remarked.
This was part of the Election Management System, through which the EPIC – Electors Photo Identity Card was made popular amongst the masses.
The same politicians who had critiqued and opposed Seshan’s idea, now meekly obliged him! Very soon, a distant dream became a possibility and a reality!
Today, almost every citizen of the nation proudly sports their EPIC on them!
Really EPIC-al!
Secondly, yet another EPIC agreement was clinched today between Mongolia and Russia! Their border agreement! The Mongolia – Russia International Border Agreement was signed today between the two countries. The boundary is said to be the third longest border between Russia and another country, after the Kazakhstan–Russia border and the China–Russia border.
Thirdly, yet another EPICAL launch by Japan was announced today. Japan said that it intends to launch their first major rocket built without reliance on American technology on 1st February 1994. This launch was the first of a series of five launches by 1997!
Finally, the anti-Hindi-imposition agitations in Tamil Nadu that started way back in 1937, gradually gained momentum all over Tamil Nadu, reaching alarming or rather EPICal proportions, with political parties riding piggyback on this anti-Hindi wave, busy tarring Hindi letters on nameboards especially in Railway Stations.
As an assurance, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru enacted the Official Languages Act in 1963 to ensure the use of English as an official language even beyond 1965.
Still, there were doubts!
Agitations continued all over Tamil Nadu. On 25th January 1965, a scuffle between agitating students and members of the Congress party sparked a massive unrest and violence in Madurai, that soon spread all over the state.
Very soon, in the year 1967, the DMK managed to capture power in Tamil Nadu, riding on the anti-Hindi wave, and quite interestingly, the Congress party has never come to power in Tamil Nadu ever since!
That very same year, in 1967, as Prime Minister, Ms. Indira Gandhi (who had become India’s first female Prime Minister a year ago in 1966), amended the Official Languages Act to guarantee the indefinite use of Hindi and English as official languages.
