Bengaluru, March 14 – The Karnataka BJP warned on Saturday that including citizens from Pakistan and Bangladesh on the voter list would pose a serious threat to the country’s national security.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, R. Ashoka, the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, said that fake votes should not be allowed to be added during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
He claimed that many people from Pakistan and Bangladesh had entered Karnataka and warned that if they were included in the voter list, they would effectively become permanent citizens, which could endanger national security.
He said that the issue had been discussed at a workshop where measures to prevent such entries in the voter list were deliberated. Ashoka added that he had also participated in the workshop.
Taking a dig at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Ashoka referred to the Chief Minister’s recent remarks in which he described himself as a socialist and said he did not support caste or family politics. Ashoka alleged that despite this claim, Siddaramaiah had appealed to people to politically support his son.
“So far people have taken care of him, and now he is asking them to take care of his son. If after a few months he asks them to take care of his grandson too, will this turn into a monarchy within a democratic political system?” Ashoka questioned.
He said that in the past kings used to declare their sons as heirs and crown them as princes. “Now the king himself is performing the coronation of the prince,” he said, criticising what he described as dynastic politics.
Ashoka further said that B.R. Ambedkar had abolished the system of monarchy and introduced a democratic system based on voting. He alleged that Siddaramaiah’s remarks went against the principles of Ambedkar and added that leaders should earn their positions through elections rather than promoting their family members.
Responding to a question on the misuse of LPG cylinders, Ashoka said the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) had been invoked to prevent misuse and stressed that the state government must take strict action to curb black marketing. He appealed to the public to cooperate during the current situation, which he described as a time of crisis, while accusing the Chief Minister of politicising issues even under such circumstances.
Ashoka also alleged that the Chief Minister’s camp had been organising dinner gatherings regularly. “This is the information I have,” he said, claiming that while ordinary people were struggling, elaborate dinner arrangements were being made within the government.
He further claimed that even some Congress leaders were privately expressing dissatisfaction with the state Budget, stating that they had been discussing its shortcomings informally.