Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, on Monday, 13 July alleged that the Karnataka government was subverting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process by issuing Permanent Resident Certificates, and demanded that the practice be stopped immediately. Ashoka made the allegations at a press conference in Chamarajanagar, raising concerns over national security and what he described as minority appeasement.

The SIR Controversy

The Special Intensive Revision process, as Ashoka explained, is designed to extend voting rights exclusively to Indian citizens. He alleged that by issuing Permanent Resident Certificates under this framework, the state government was enabling undocumented residents — including, he claimed, approximately 2 crore Bangladeshi nationals — to entrench themselves legally in the country.

'This is endangering the country's security, and this process should be stopped immediately,' Ashoka said. He further argued that once certificates are issued to such individuals, deportation becomes legally untenable. 'If certificates are issued to such people, it will become impossible to send them back,' he alleged.

Constitutional Authority and Political Blame

Ashoka underscored that the power to grant citizenship rests solely with the Centre, not state governments. He drew a parallel with West Bengal, alleging that large-scale Bangladeshi migration occurred during the tenure of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, and criticised the Indian National Congress (Congress) for not raising objections at the time.

'The government has resorted to this conspiracy to appease minorities,' he alleged, adding that cases against Muslim organisations in Karnataka had already been withdrawn — a claim he cited as evidence of a pattern. Notably, the Karnataka government has not publicly responded to these specific allegations as of the time of this report.

Drought Relief and Farmer Grievances

Ashoka also trained his fire on the state government's handling of drought conditions, alleging that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had failed to formally declare drought-affected areas before demanding ₹10,000 crore in relief from the Centre at a Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) meeting.

'A responsible government must first conduct a survey and submit a report to the Centre to receive relief,' he said, pointing out that the Centre releases funds under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) only after an official survey and report. He questioned the state's accounting of funds already disbursed under SDRF in previous years.

Ashoka also alleged that water from the KRS reservoir was being diverted to Tamil Nadu instead of being released to farmers, particularly in rain-deficient districts such as Chamarajanagar and Mysuru. He demanded that compensation be announced for farmers advised against cultivating water-intensive crops.

Guarantee Scheme Criticism

Rounding off his press conference, Ashoka alleged that the Congress-led Karnataka government had betrayed voters on its pre-election guarantee promises. 'What was promised in the manifesto is one thing; what they are doing now is another,' he charged, accusing the government of misleading the public during the election campaign.

With assembly sessions and local body elections on the horizon, the BJP's escalating pressure on the SIR process and drought relief is likely to intensify as the opposition seeks to consolidate its position in Karnataka.