Reacting to the allegations levelled against the SIR process by the leaders of the NDA, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, on Monday claimed that the government would not interfere in the process, as the opposition is only scared of the mass awareness campaign launched by the government. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru regarding the NDA's formal complaint to the Election Commission, Shivakumar suggested that the Opposition's despondency stems directly from the government's efforts to empower the poor and minority communities.
He clarified that the government has no intention of meddling with the electoral revision, adding that around 45 million people have successfully obtained caste and income certificates with the added facility to download them online. According to Shivakumar, the Opposition simply prefers to see vulnerable groups face bureaucratic difficulties. Addressing the accusations about illegal immigrants made by the Opposition, he went ahead and questioned their past record during their time in power, asking why they had not done anything about the supposed Bangladeshis when they were in office. He brushed off their political criticisms, saying that while criticism may fade away, work endures.
Shivakumar has also talked about the success of the welfare schemes of the state, and he said that the scheme of 'Five Guarantees' implemented by the government of Karnataka has now been taken up as a practice across the nation. He said that these programs have been made in order to help people in getting some monetary help from the government, and due to the success of these schemes, Karnataka has become a benchmark for the Central Government and other states. Pointing towards the importance of SIR process for protecting the democratic rights of the citizens, he said that the main aim of the government is to make sure that everybody gets their votes.
His comments come after genuine fears expressed by the Opposition about the Special Intensive Revision exercise that is being carried out by the Election Commission of India in Karnataka. The Opposition has said that directives issued by the Election Commission of India are not being followed by the lower-level officials, who are reportedly under pressure from the Congress leadership to add ineligible persons to the voter rolls.
Also read: Karnataka state assembly session deferred due to SIR: Shivakumar
Follow us
