Bengaluru, Oct 2 (IANS) BJP workers will not be intimidated by threats of FIRs or political pressure for submitting Form-7 applications, Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra said on Friday, asserting that the party will legally fight any cases registered against its workers.
Vijayendra further challenged Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to prove the allegations he made against the BJP, failing which he should resign as Chief Minister.
Chief Minister Shivakumar has alleged that the BJP and JD(S) had conspired to delete the names of 50 lakh voters belonging to minority and oppressed communities from the electoral rolls. He, along with cabinet colleagues, staged a dharna on Thursday in front of the office of Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukumar, following which the CEO issued a written order directing officials to initiate criminal cases against individuals found to be submitting bulk Form-7 applications seeking deletion of names.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru on Friday, Vijayendra said threatening BJP workers or exerting political pressure on them merely for submitting Form-7 applications was not appropriate.
“If anyone has submitted an application by providing false information, the Election Commission should verify it and initiate legal action. But the BJP will not tolerate threats of filing FIRs targeting its workers for political reasons,” he said.
Vijayendra said the Chief Minister had put pressure on the Election Commission and threatened to have FIRs registered against BJP workers. He alleged that the Chief Minister was trying to turn the entire state into an “FIR state” and asserted that the BJP would not bow to such pressure.
He said the BJP had the strength and capability to face all such threats. “Even if a thousand FIRs are registered, there is no question of being afraid. We will fight such FIRs in court,” he said.
He said the party would, through legal means, face any case that needed to be contested within the framework of law.
Vijayendra said questions similar to those raised in Mysuru’s Narasimharaja Assembly constituency had also emerged in other constituencies, including Bengaluru. Complaints related to electoral rolls had also been received from border areas of Dakshina Kannada, he said, urging the Election Commission to examine all such complaints.
He said before levelling allegations against the BJP, CM Shivakumar and the Congress should also clarify complaints related to electoral rolls involving local Congress workers and representatives.
“If anyone has violated the rules in the Form-7 or SIR process, whether they belong to the BJP, Congress, JD(S) or any other organisation, the Election Commission should take action according to law,” he said.
“Our position is clear: the rights of eligible voters must be protected, and if there are ineligible names, they should be verified,” Vijayendra said.
Vijayendra alleged that Shivakumar was politicising the SIR issue to divert public attention from other issues facing the state.
He said the government was facing several serious questions, including those related to KPSC recruitment, allegations by contractors, drought and the state’s financial situation.
“At a time when the government should answer all these questions, staging a protest before the Election Commission and levelling allegations against the BJP is an attempt to divert public attention,” he alleged.
Vijayendra said the SIR process was being conducted under the supervision of the Election Commission and called for every Form-7 application to be examined irrespective of which political party or organisation had submitted it.
“The Election Commission should act in such a way that the names of eligible voters remain on the rolls and ineligible names are removed according to the rules,” he said.
He said the Chief Minister should cooperate in ensuring a transparent electoral process instead of exerting political pressure on the Election Commission.
Vijayendra said a Chief Minister making allegations that there was a conspiracy to delete the votes of Dalits, backward classes, and minorities should produce documents supporting the charges.
“When a Chief Minister accuses a political party of conspiring to delete the votes of Dalits, backward classes and minorities, he must provide documents to support the allegation. It is not possible to simply make allegations and walk away. The responsibility to prove the allegation rests with the Chief Minister,” he said.
Vijayendra once again challenged Shivakumar to prove his allegations against the BJP.
He said protecting the rights of eligible voters was the BJP’s responsibility and that cleansing the electoral rolls was necessary for the electoral process.
He said the Election Commission and the BJP were working to prevent irregularities in the SIR process. However, he alleged that Rahul Gandhi was threatening the Election Commission, an autonomous institution.
Vijayendra said that Rahul Gandhi appeared to be under the illusion that the Congress would come to power at the Centre after every election. “Looking at his situation, one feels sorry for him,” he said.
He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity was continuing to grow and that the people of the country had accepted his leadership.
–IANS
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