BJP alleges Congress using PRC to secure votes of illegal migrants
BJP leader R. Ashok has accused the Congress government in Karnataka of attempting to secure illegal Bangladeshi migrants' voting rights by issuing Permanent Residence Certificates. He claims this move violates constitutional norms regarding citizenship and is a strategy to protect the party's vote bank.
Why it matters
This highlights ongoing political tensions regarding immigration, national security, and the limits of state versus central government authority in India.
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok on Saturday alleged that the Congress government’s proposal to issue Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs) is an attempt to secure the voting rights of illegal Bangladeshi migrants residing in Karnataka during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Addressing a programme organised by the Kayaka Samudayagala Okkuta to felicitate newly-elected BJP MLC Raghu Kautilya here, Mr. Ashok claimed that the State government was trying to legitimise the presence of illegal migrants by issuing PRCs.
“What the D.K. Shivakumar government has done is a violation of the Constitution. The State government has no authority to issue Permanent Residence Certificates. Only the Centre has the power to decide matters relating to citizenship and domicile. The Congress is attempting to protect its vote bank,” he alleged.
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