BJP accuses govt. of issuing PRCs to Bangladeshi citizens, complains to Governor

The BJP on Wednesday complained to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, accusing the Congress government of illegally issuing Permanent Resident Certificates (PRC) to people from Bangladesh and other countries with an intention of “creating a vote bank.”

Addressing a press conference after submitting the memorandum, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok said, “The Congress is taking this step to create a vote bank ahead of the upcoming gram panchayat, zilla panchayat, and Assembly elections. The Governor has promised us that he will caution the government on this issue.”

Mr. Ashok argued that matters related to citizenship, identification of foreigners, and migration fall entirely under the Union List and are exclusively within the domain of the Central government. “In such a situation, the State government unilaterally attempting to assume the power to issue Permanent Resident Certificates is not only illegal but also a dangerous move that undermines the federal system,” he claimed.

“We have appealed to the Governor to direct the State government to withdraw this controversial proposal and obtain a comprehensive report on whether the Union government was consulted before issuing this notification and what legal procedures were followed for verifying Indian citizenship. We have also requested a high-level inquiry into birth certificates issued through courts and Lok Adalats after the SIR process began,” he said.

Stampede

Expressing concern over ending the inquiry against police officers in connection with the stampede near the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed the lives of 11 people, Mr. Ashok said, “When our BJP government comes to power, we will get this investigated by the CBI. Ministers and IAS officers’ family members, including children and grandchildren, had come onto the stage in front of Vidhana Soudha without any discipline. No action was taken against them, and finally the government is saying no one is guilty. This is a betrayal of the youth. The people will not forgive this.”