BJP accuses Cong of hijacking SIR process; urges Karnataka govt to stop issuing PRCs

Chamarajanagar (Karnataka), Jul 13 (PTI) Senior BJP leader R Ashoka on Monday demanded that the Congress government in Karnataka immediately stop issuing permanent residence certificates, accusing the ruling party of hijacking the SIR process through these certificates. The Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly said this poses a threat to national security. "Through the SIR process, only Indian citizens are being granted voting rights. However, the Congress government is hijacking the process," Ashoka said. He questioned, "Why are permanent residence certificates (PRCs) being issued after so many years of independence, asking whether all citizens had been living without proper status until now?" Claiming that there is a large number of Bangladeshi citizens in the country, the LoP said if such people are issued certificates, it would become impossible to deport them. He alleged that the government was taking this step to appease minorities. Asserting that only the central government has the authority to grant citizenship, Ashoka said, if people are found not to be Indian citizens, the Centre takes steps to send them back to their respective countries. He alleged that when Congress ally and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee was in power in West Bengal, many Bangladeshis entered the state, but Congress did not question it. He said similar problems exist in Assam and Bihar and accused Congress of being responsible for the beginning of the Naxal problem. He criticised Congress leaders, saying they had ignored these issues for years and were now blaming the BJP. Ashoka claimed, "If the Congress government continues to support anti-national elements, communal tensions will increase." He alleged that cases against some Muslim organisations had already been withdrawn and said certificates should not be issued merely to appease them. Noting that Chief Minister D K Shivakumar should have already declared drought-affected areas in the state, the LoP said, instead, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee meeting has passed a resolution demanding Rs 10,000 crore from the central government. He alleged that "no survey has been conducted, drought has not been officially declared, and there is no information about fodder and water availability, yet the state government is demanding funds from the Centre." He said a responsible state government must first conduct a survey and submit a report to the Centre before relief can be provided. The central government sends its officials to assess the situation, obtain reports, and then release funds. Ashoka added that compensation is provided every year through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and demanded that the state government provide an account of how those funds were used. He accused the government of trying to shift blame onto the Centre instead of taking responsibility. Alleging that Cauvery water is secretly being released to Tamil Nadu without providing water to farmers in the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) command area, the BJP leader also criticised the government for asking farmers not to cultivate crops, saying that if cultivation was to be discouraged, the government should have announced compensation. Ashoka said his arrival in Chamarajanagar was delayed because of the large number of potholes on roads in the region. He said the district minister should have inspected the situation and listened to farmers' problems but had failed to do so. Claiming that the government is now conducting surveys and reducing the number of beneficiaries under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, he accused the government of misappropriating Rs 5,000 crore under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme without providing accounts. He demanded that the government immediately clear all pending payments. He accused Congress of betraying people in the name of guarantee schemes, saying that what was promised in the manifesto was different from what is being implemented. He alleged that the party promised benefits to everyone, but is now deceiving people. Ashoka accused Congress of using Karnataka as an "ATM" and claimed that Siddaramaiah had taken a three-year "contract" while Shivakumar had been given the remaining two years. He criticised the government for not carrying out a cabinet reshuffle despite the passage of time. PTI KSU ADB