Union Minister Pralhad Joshi slammed the Congress for opposing the ECI's electoral roll revision. In response, Congress leader BK Hariprasad alleged the BJP is using the process to disenfranchise poor voters and launched a statewide awareness campaign.
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, on Friday criticised the Congress over its opposition to the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, questioning why the party was objecting to the exercise despite having allegedly benefited from it in previous elections.
Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, Joshi said the Congress was adopting contradictory positions on the electoral roll revision process and accused the party of raising baseless objections for political reasons. "Why are they (Congress) afraid? These very people have said that they won in Kerala because of SIR. You won in Telangana--no problem. You won in Jharkhand--no problem. In Tamil Nadu, we had an alliance with the AIADMK; did we win? Who won there? One ought to speak with at least some common sense. If people here speak just as Rahul Gandhi does, without common sense, then what can we do?..." Joshi said.
Congress Alleges BJP Plot to Disenfranchise Voters
His remarks came after Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President BK Hariprasad announced that the party had launched a massive grassroots awareness campaign across the state in response to the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Addressing reporters in Hubballi earlier in the day, Hariprasad alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was using the exercise to systematically strip voting rights from poor people, particularly those residing in rural areas.
Hariprasad said the Congress had deputed observers across almost all districts and talukas to spread awareness among voters, especially in rural and economically weaker sections, with the aim of ensuring that "genuine citizens" do not lose their voting rights. "The Congress Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has launched an awareness programme. Since there is limited time, observers have been deputed in almost all districts and talukas to create awareness among voters, especially in rural areas where the poorest of the poor reside," Hariprasad said.
He further alleged that the BJP was attempting to disenfranchise poor voters, a charge the Congress strongly opposes. He urged people to ensure that between June 30 and July 29, they fill out their enumeration forms and submit them to Booth Level Officers (BLOs). "Our idea is that no genuine citizen of this country should lose their franchise. The BJP is attempting to disenfranchise the majority of poor people, and we are opposed to that. We are working to create awareness among all voters so that between 30 June and 29 July, everyone fills out their enumeration form and submits it to the BLO," added BK Hariprasad.
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