Bengaluru, July 4 (IANS) Karnataka Minister for Home Priyank Kharge on Saturday said that if there were any irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, it was the responsibility of the Election Commission to take appropriate action, asserting that the State government had neither violated any rules nor directed officials to deviate from the prescribed procedure.
Responding to allegations by the Opposition over irregularities in the SIR process, Kharge said no one could act in violation of the law.
“Election Commission observers are monitoring the process. If there are any procedural lapses, the Election Commission can take action,” he said.
He clarified that the State government had not compelled anyone to conduct the SIR exercise and had not instructed officials to hold the process in community halls or government offices.
Kharge acknowledged that people had genuine concerns about the revision process.
“It is true that people are anxious. We had asked the Election Commission 12 questions, but it has not responded. The public has concerns and doubts about this process. If there are doubts, the responsibility lies with the Election Commission, not the State government,” he said.
He noted that the State government neither framed the rules nor supervised the process.
“The Election Commission must answer these questions. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) may be under the State administration, but they function under the directions of the Election Commission. If the SIR is not being conducted properly, it is the Commission’s responsibility to take action,” he said.
Responding to criticism over photographs of MLAs being displayed during the SIR exercise, Kharge said legislators from all political parties were helping voters complete the process.
“All parties are working to help voters. There are prescribed guidelines. If displaying photographs is prohibited, what exactly happened in Jayanagar? Was it only our MLA? Booth Level Officers are involved in the process, and every political party participates in the SIR because they want their supporters’ names included in the electoral rolls. This is not confined to any one community,” he said.
Kharge alleged that Scheduled Castes, minorities and backward classes were currently the most apprehensive about the exercise.
Referring to reports from Bihar and West Bengal, he said there were concerns among people that they would lose access to State and Central government welfare schemes if they were not included in the SIR list.
“It is the Election Commission’s responsibility to remove such fears. We sought time to meet the Commission, but it has not given us an appointment,” he said.
Reacting to Union Ministers H.D. Kumaraswamy and Shobha Karandlaje demanding that the Central Election Commission directly monitor the SIR process, Kharge said the BJP, being in power at the Centre, was free to pursue such a move.
“They have the Central government. Let them get it done. No one is opposing the SIR. Our only demand is that it should be conducted transparently. It is the Election Commission that is creating anxiety, not the State government,” he said.
When asked whether the Election Commission was failing in its responsibility, Kharge said ensuring the proper conduct of the process was entirely the Commission’s duty.
Separately, commenting on the recent accident near KR Circle in Bengaluru, Kharge said he was not aware of the specific incident but noted that nearly 66 per cent of the city’s traffic congestion was caused by vehicle breakdowns.
“This came to light during a recent review meeting on Bengaluru traffic. A majority of the breakdowns involve buses,” he said.
Kharge said the government was preparing an Urban Mobility Plan to address Bengaluru’s growing traffic challenges.
“The Traffic Police, Greater Bengaluru Authority, corporates and educational institutions must work together as part of an Urban Mobility Mission. We are planning to constitute a committee within a week to 10 days to examine how the existing system can be improved,” he said.
Highlighting the scale of the problem, Kharge said Bengaluru has a population of around one crore, while the number of registered vehicles has crossed 1.5 crore.
“While the city’s population is increasing by around three per cent annually, the number of vehicles is growing by 10.7 per cent every year. We will address the issue in a systematic and scientific manner,” he added.
–IANS
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