The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : President's brother is no exception

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

President's brother is no exception

By Our Staff Reporter

RAMESWARAM, MAY 10. Hundreds of electors in the Ramanathapuram parliamentary constituency today returned home dejected as their names were missing from the voter's list. Among them is 86-year-old Mohammed Muthu Meera Lebbai Maraikkayar, brother of the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a resident of Rameswaram.

Despite his ailment he turned up to cast his franchise in the morning itself, but was told that his name was not in the list. Mr. Maraikkayar, expressing his anger, said the missing of the name was a serious issue. He told The Hindu that he had been voting for the last 60 years but only this time, was he denied the basic right. He said he had not shifted his residence. He demanded that an enquiry be initiated to find out how the large-scale deletions occurred. The name of his son, Jainulaudheen, also did not figure in the list. But, his grandson' name was included.

The Collector, S. Vijayakumar, who is also the Returning Officer, said Mr. Maraikkayar's name was deleted during the annual verification in 2002 itself and the officials did not receive any application to include it.

The names of four members of Mr. Maraikkayar's family figured in the list. The reason for the deletion of Mr. Maraikkayar's name in the 2002 revision would be known only tomorrow as officials concerned were engaged in election duty, the Collector said. Mass deletions were reported from Paramakudi, Mayakulam and Kazhari, where more than 1,000 names were not included in the list.

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