New Delhi/Bengaluru, Oct 8 (IANS): Karnataka Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, on Thursday alleged that BJP leaders were involved in the “criminal” misuse of Form-7 applications to seek deletion of voters’ names and said he had information and records that would be handed over to the Congress high command and used to seek a detailed investigation.
Addressing the media in Delhi, CM Shivakumar said he would expose the alleged misuse and claimed that some BJP leaders who had recently met the Governor were themselves involved in the alleged irregularities. He also displayed alleged fake Form-7 applications and claimed that he has one full sack of such applications printed in BJP headquarters.
“I have information and records. I will expose this and hand over all the information to the high command. The BJP leaders are indulging in utterly lowly criminal work without any shame,” he alleged.
He questioned the Opposition leaders’ demand that no investigation should be conducted into the alleged misuse of Form-7 applications, saying their opposition to a probe raised questions about their conduct.
“They fear that their names would come out and are demanding that no investigation is required. I will get the investigation done in this regard,” CM Shivakumar said.
CM Shivakumar said poor villagers and illiterate people could not be expected to understand the complexities of Form-7 and the voter deletion process.
CM Shivakumar said that his government had taken steps to ensure that even homeless and vulnerable people were not excluded from the electoral rolls.
“I have written to everyone that even the homeless and downtrodden are included and one month’s time is given to rectify their details and ensure their names are included,” he said.
CM Shivakumar claimed that the alleged misuse of Form-7 applications had started in Bengaluru and subsequently spread across Karnataka. He criticised BJP leaders for approaching the Governor over cases registered in connection with the issue.
He also questioned the Governor seeking explanations from government officials regarding the filing of cases against those allegedly involved in submitting fraudulent Form-7 applications.
“Is this not a crime? Is it not the duty of a Chief Minister to protect every vote of everyone?” he asked, adding that the government would protect the electoral rights of voters irrespective of their political affiliation.
CM Shivakumar said the government would also protect the votes of BJP supporters if their names were wrongly deleted from the electoral rolls.
He accused the BJP of avoiding electoral battles based on public support and instead attempting to manipulate the election machinery and Election Commission of India.
“They should fight elections and win the hearts of the people of the state and the country. They are not doing that. They are just trying to use the election machinery and the Election Commission and trying to do all this,” he alleged.
The Chief Minister questioned whether an elected government had no authority to act when voters were affected by fraudulent applications.
He said the government had a responsibility to intervene when the rights of common citizens were threatened, particularly when living persons were allegedly shown as dead in Form-7 applications seeking deletion of their names from the electoral rolls.
CM Shivakumar also praised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for raising the issue, describing it as a matter concerning the country rather than merely the Congress party.
“Rahul Gandhi is doing a great job. It is not for himself and it is not for the Congress party. It is the country’s biggest conspiracy. The right to vote is the right to live,” he said.
He said that as Leader of the Opposition, Gandhi had a responsibility to protect every voter and stated that similar concerns had been raised across the country.
Turning to Karnataka, CM Shivakumar alleged that attempts had been made to delete the names of more than a lakh voters and claimed that lakhs of Form-7 applications had been prepared in a systematic manner.
He alleged that the applications had been printed at a BJP headquarters and that local BJP leaders were subsequently provided with forms containing the names and addresses of minority, Dalit and backward-class voters.
According to CM Shivakumar, some local leaders then submitted their identity cards and phone numbers while filing the applications. He claimed that after the government became aware of the alleged irregularities and filed complaints, BJP leaders immediately approached Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and took back some of the submitted Form-7 applications.
Displaying the applications, CM Shivakumar said the forms were computerised and contained detailed information, questioning whether ordinary villagers could have prepared and submitted them on their own.
“All the forms are printed and computerised. Will the villager be able to fill in these forms? Only minority names are targeted,” he alleged, displaying what he described as a full sack of such applications.
CM Shivakumar further claimed that lakhs of applications had subsequently been withdrawn and questioned Union Ministers H.D. Kumaraswamy and BJP leaders R. Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayaswamy’s decision to approach the Governor along with other NDA leaders, demanding that cases and investigations should not be pursued.
He said the alleged act would have been completed had the authorities not intervened, and claimed that the Election Commission had taken note of the issue and directed states to conduct a special campaign.
“The criminal act was supposed to happen and we stopped it. The Election Commission was convinced and wrote to all states for a special campaign,” he said.
