India

Karnataka CM Shivakumar and Congress MLAs to Head to Delhi for SIR Protest

By Arun Dev

Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar announced on Sunday that he and all Congress MLAs will travel to Delhi to protest the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming that one crore voters were removed from the state’s lists without verification. Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Shivakumar said he had instructed the party’s MLAs to be in Delhi to defend voters’ rights and that the Congress would organise its own campaign rather than join other groups’ protests. He added that the party did not intend to mobilise a large crowd.

Shivakumar said the question of whether the organisers had secured permission for the Delhi protest was separate from how authorities had responded. He raised concerns about restrictions, an internet shutdown and the detention of people arriving by plane, calling the arrest of elected representatives embarrassing for the country. "The Prime Minister should answer whether there is democracy or an emergency in the country," he said.

He warned that incidents involving restrictions on protests could damage India’s reputation as a leading democracy and urged those in power to face public criticism instead of suppressing dissent. "In a democracy, protesters have the right to protest. They have their own voice. No one can suppress that voice," Shivakumar said.

The chief minister distinguished the Congress’s plans from those of the protest organisers, noting that the party had not been consulted about the demonstration but would not try to stop it. He said some members of the INDIA alliance were participating and were entitled to do so.

Shivakumar alleged that one crore names had been deleted from Karnataka’s electoral rolls without verification and said the state Congress had a responsibility to protect the voting rights of all citizens, especially Dalits, minorities and backward communities. "Erasing their votes, especially for political purposes, is inhumane. This is not democracy; it is a dictatorship," he said.

When asked about a letter from retired IAS officers supporting the SIR, Shivakumar said their views represented their own assessment rather than the position of a political party. "The former IAS officers have performed their duty. Their opinion is the voice of the country, not the voice of any political party," he added.