Bengaluru, July 15 (IANS) State unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday has urged the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to withdraw the state government’s notification regarding the Population Register Collection (PRC) exercise, alleging that it is unconstitutional and amounts to an attempt to implement a “backdoor NRC” in Karnataka. The delegation also sought constitutional intervention in the matter.

In a memorandum submitted to Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbu Kumar, the BJP leaders contended that the PRC exercise, initiated by the state government through a notification issued on June 26, violates constitutional provisions and falls within the exclusive domain of the Union Government.

The delegation primarily urged the CEO to ascertain whether the state government had consulted the Centre before issuing the notification and to determine the criteria being adopted to verify Indian citizenship. The BJP leaders insisted that the Election Commission obtain a detailed report on the matter.

Second, they demanded the immediate withdrawal of the notification in the interest of peace, public order and security in the state, and urged the Election Commission to direct the state government accordingly.

Finally, the memorandum called for an investigation by competent authorities into the genuineness of birth certificates issued by courts and Janata Adalats after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise commenced in the state.

The delegation, led by Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, BJP MLCs C.T. Ravi, N. Ravikumar and Hanumanth Nirani, former MLA K.S. Manjunath Gowda, BJP Taluk President T.B. Krishnappa and other party functionaries, claimed that matters relating to citizenship, population registers and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) fall under the Union List of the Constitution and cannot be undertaken by a state government without the Centre’s approval.

The BJP further alleged that the PRC exercise is being carried out alongside the Election Commission’s ongoing SIR of electoral rolls, creating confusion among citizens and increasing the possibility of misuse of personal information.

According to the memorandum, the party has raised concerns over the lack of legal clarity, transparency and safeguards in the collection of citizens’ data.

The memorandum also claimed that the government’s decision to proceed with the PRC exercise despite objections from the Opposition has raised serious questions about its intent.

“The state government has no authority to conduct any exercise akin to the NRC or maintain a population register, as these subjects fall exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Union Government,” the BJP leaders stated in their representation.

They urged the Chief Electoral Officer to intervene and ensure that the PRC exercise does not interfere with the electoral roll revision process currently underway in Karnataka.

The BJP leaders also sought the immediate suspension of the exercise until its legality is examined and necessary clarifications are provided by the state government.

The issue is expected to intensify the political confrontation between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP ahead of the upcoming local body elections in the state.

–IANS

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