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.
Mr. Ashok said the Congress government introduced the PRC proposal because the ongoing SIR exercise had made it difficult to safeguard the electoral interests of illegal migrants, whom he alleged were supporters of the ruling party. “The State cannot tamper with rules framed by the Government of India, particularly in matters concerning national security,” he said.
Accusing the Congress of pursuing appeasement politics, Mr. Ashok alleged that the party consistently prioritised minority interests for electoral gains.
Criticising Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, he alleged that the latter projected himself as a religious person while allegedly “supporting illegal Bangladeshi migrants for political reasons.”
Mr. Ashok further claimed that India has around two crore illegal Bangladeshi migrants, of whom 20 to 30 lakh are in Karnataka. He claimed that a senior police officer in Bengaluru had informed him that about 250 Bangladeshi nationals were recently deported and alleged that such migrants were residing in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru districts.
Speaking at the same function, State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra also opposed the State government’s proposal to issue PRCs and demanded that it be withdrawn immediately.
He alleged that authorising Revenue Inspectors to issue PRCs demonstrated the government’s disregard for national security at a time when concerns over illegal Bangladeshi migrants were increasing. “The power to determine who is a resident or a citizen rests with the Centre, not the State government,” Mr. Vijayendra said.
Accusing the Congress government of pursuing appeasement politics, he said a BJP delegation would soon meet the Governor and urge him to intervene and stop the implementation of the PRC proposal.
Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chaluvadi Narayanaswamy, MPs P. C. Mohan and Govinda Karjol, former minister Sriramulu, MLA T. S. Srivatsa, MLC Raghu Kautilya, former MP Pratap Simha and others were present.
Published - July 11, 2026 07:05 pm IST