Bengaluru, July 6 (IANS) Karnataka Congress President B.K. Hariprasad on Monday accused BJP of attempting to manipulate the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged that the party was using Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy as a “pawn” in its political campaign against the Congress.

Addressing a press conference, Hariprasad responded to allegations made earlier in the day by Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and H.D. Kumaraswamy, who accused the Congress of irregularities in the voter enumeration process before the Chief Electoral Officer.

Hariprasad further claimed that while around 5.65 lakh voters had already been mapped in Karnataka, attempts were being made to exclude nearly 50 lakh genuine voters from the electoral rolls.

Hariprasad said he had seen media reports of BJP leaders making serious allegations against the Congress before the Election Commission today. Referring to Kumaraswamy, he said he did not understand why a leader who had served twice as Chief Minister had reached such a situation. He also remarked that Kumaraswamy himself had made several critical comments about Pralhad Joshi in the past.

Alleging that the BJP was using Kumaraswamy for its political agenda, Hariprasad claimed that the saffron party had earlier weakened several regional parties, including the Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal, Trinamool Congress and Janata Dal (United), and was now using its alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka to target the Congress.

He alleged that the BJP was unable to confront the Congress directly and had therefore chosen to use Kumaraswamy as a political tool.

Responding to Kumaraswamy’s allegation that enumeration forms were being filled at a mosque in Ramanagara and at the residences of Congress leaders, Hariprasad said any procedural lapses would be examined by the Election Commission.

He alleged that the BJP and RSS had a history of electoral malpractice and claimed they had “mastered” the practice of casting votes in the names of deceased persons. He asserted that the Congress had never attempted to win elections or form governments through illegal means.

Hariprasad questioned whether there were no alleged Bangladeshi nationals in Ramanagara when Anita Kumaraswamy, wife of Union Minister Kumaraswamy, won the Ramanagara by-election by a margin of over one lakh votes.

Turning his criticism towards Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Hariprasad challenged him to explain how much he had spoken in Parliament about Karnataka’s development and culture and how much Central funding he had secured for the state. Referring to the Mahadayi project, he said the BJP had celebrated its implementation before elections but had failed to obtain the required environmental clearances.

He said the Constitution clearly lays down the procedures for preparing electoral rolls and alleged that after campaigns around the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the BJP had now shifted its focus to the Special Intensive Revision.

He claimed that despite earlier allegations about large numbers of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam, only around 23,000 such persons had ultimately been identified.

Hariprasad also alleged that 91 lakh names had been removed from the electoral rolls in West Bengal, with the status of around 27 lakh voters remaining unclear. Denying voting rights to such citizens, he said, was against the spirit of democracy. He claimed that in two constituencies won by the Congress, both represented by minority community legislators, the names of the elected MLAs themselves had allegedly been removed from the electoral rolls.

Hariprasad accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of attempting to undermine the Constitution because they could not secure a majority directly from the people.

He alleged that while the Election Commission permits enumeration forms to be filled at public places, BJP Booth Level Agents (BLAs) in Bengaluru’s Mahalakshmi Layout were accompanying Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and allegedly asking voters to support the BJP. Similar intimidation, he claimed, was taking place in Sadashivanagar and Jayanagar.

Hariprasad said community halls, mosques and temples were being used to help people fill enumeration forms because BLOs had informed them that it was difficult to access slum areas. He said the process after submitting the forms was itself challenging, particularly for illiterate and economically weaker sections, and therefore such assistance was being provided to ensure that eligible voters were not deprived of their franchise.

He maintained that the Congress supported the removal of duplicate, fake and deceased voters from the electoral rolls but insisted that no genuine voter should lose the right to vote.

Quoting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s recent remark that everyone residing in the country is an Indian, Hariprasad said Pralhad Joshi should learn from his Cabinet colleague.

He also alleged that the BJP’s own Booth Level Agents had failed to perform their responsibilities of distributing, verifying and submitting enumeration forms to election officials and were now attempting to blame the Congress for their shortcomings.

Referring to the recent Legislative Council elections, Hariprasad said the BJP’s behaviour had changed after the results and concluded by reiterating that no eligible voter should be excluded from the electoral rolls. He also referred to the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, saying it reflected the BJP’s conduct.

–IANS

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