Bengaluru, July 11: The Karnataka BJP President and MLA, B.Y. Vijayendra, announced on Saturday that the party would consider legal options to challenge the constitutional validity of the Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) being issued by the state’s Congress government. He described the issuance of the PRC as a tactic to protect illegal immigrants and strengthen the Congress’s voter base.
Vijayendra stated that the party would also submit a petition to the Governor, opposing this “completely irrational and unconstitutional” move. He plans to convene a meeting with the party’s legal team soon to discuss strategies to contest the Congress government’s actions.
“We will also present a petition to the constitutional head of the state, the Governor, to draw attention to how the state government is attempting to usurp the powers and jurisdiction of the Centre,” he said.
The state BJP president criticized Congress for its “double standards and contradictory approach” regarding the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the PRC. He noted, “When the BJP government at the Centre sought to exercise its constitutional right to prepare the NRC, the Congress party opposed it and created a ruckus. Now, the Congress government in Karnataka is issuing the PRC, which is entirely unconstitutional and illogical.”
According to Vijayendra, the authority to prepare the NRC or issue the PRC lies solely with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which determines an individual’s citizenship status.
He emphasized, “The responsibility of determining citizenship under the Indian Citizenship Act rests entirely with the Union Home Ministry. I accuse the Congress government of not only acting against the Centre but also encroaching upon its powers and jurisdiction for political gain.”
Vijayendra alleged that the state government’s decision to issue the PRC during the ongoing “Special Intensive Review” (SIR) process appears to be a political scheme aimed at protecting illegal immigrants and gaining electoral advantage.
“The BJP will oppose this unconstitutional and nonsensical action both politically and legally. We will reach out to the constitutional head of the state to highlight this issue. We will not allow the Congress government to encroach upon the Centre’s powers and rights related to citizenship matters,” he concluded.
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