Former Karnataka minister and BJP MLA Prabhu Chauhan has appealed to the public for cooperation in the revision of the voter list. Terming Congress’s allegations baseless, he said that this process is being done by the independent body Election Commission to ‘purify’ the voter list.
BJP MLAs angry at Congress over voter list amendment
Yadagiri (Karnataka) [भारत]June 30 (ANI): Former Karnataka minister and BJP MLA Prabhu Chauhan on Tuesday urged the public to cooperate in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. He also criticized the Congress party for making “baseless allegations” against the process.
Addressing the media, Chouhan said the process is a necessary step towards “purification” of the voter list and clarified that it is being conducted by an independent body. Chauhan said, “The SIR process has started in the state from June 30. I have an appeal to the people of Karnataka. Your Booth Level Officer (BLO) will come to your house and give you two forms. You will have to give complete details of your family. You will have to give complete information. For this you should cooperate and not create any problem.”
‘Congress is making baseless allegations’
Hitting back at the Congress for accusing the Central government of interference, the BJP leader reminded the state’s ruling party that the Election Commission functions independently. He stressed, “Congress is blaming the central government. Why? Because we do not have any institution of this central government here. The Election Commission conducts elections; it is an independent institution. Today, there is a Congress government here. SIR is being done for the first time under the Congress rule. We are not doing this; the institution is doing it. But the Congress is making baseless allegations.”
‘Congress worried because of fake voters’
Chouhan alleged that the Congress was concerned about “cleansing” the voter list as it would identify those who migrated and remove fake entries. Chouhan claimed, “Only those who are anti-BJP and anti-Modi make such allegations. But this is a very good work. This will reveal who is where and who has gone somewhere else. This is a purge of the voter list. The voter list is being cleaned. They have to come forward. They [फर्जी मतदाता] Will not live in Congress houses; They will fall on the houses of Congress only. That’s why Congress is worried.”
Drawing parallels with issues of illegal immigration in other parts of the country, the former minister said the process would address concerns similar to those seen in West Bengal. “There was illegal immigration from Bangladesh in West Bengal. If there are such problems, this process will remove them. Congress just wants to protest for the sake of protesting. This is their only job. That is why Congress is spreading false news,” he said.
Appeal for cooperation from public
Reiterating his appeal, Chauhan said that since BLOs are government employees, there should be no reason for protest. He further said, “BLOs have been appointed in all schools in Karnataka. When the government is doing its work, why are there protests? This SIR will benefit everyone. There is awareness among the people, and people understand.”
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Phase-III covering more than 36 crore voters in a phased manner across 16 states and three Union Territories. For the states of Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi, the qualifying date is October 1. The draft list will be published on August 5, in which claims and objections can be made from August 5 to September 4. The notice stage and settlement will end on October 3, and the final voter list will be published on October 7. (ANI)
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