Unions and citizens-led groups that turned up at a mass resistance convention against Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on Saturday at Freedom Park warned of fierce protest if the Election Commission fails to respond to their concerns by June 30, when SIR will begin across Karnataka.

 They demanded that “logical discrepancy” as a category should not be applied in the State, while village and ward-level vigilance committees should be formed and computer-readable electoral rolls be made available.

The event had multiple statewide unions and rights groups, who argued that the campaign against the SIR would continue “till the last voter registration in the State is completed.” 

Noor Sridhar, State president, Karnataka Janashakthi, said the SIR process should not be allowed in Karnataka in the form it was implemented in Bihar and West Bengal, where the exercise led to mass deletions. Arguing that the Election Commission and the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer were continuing their work “without answering a single question raised,” he demanded that vigilance committees be formed and registered by July 15. 

Among the speakers were former minister B.T. Lalitha Naik, who said democracy survives only when citizens trust the government and judiciary. 

Various workers’ groups, including the State Anganwadi Associations, voiced how the exercise is affecting the workers physically and mentally, while Dalit groups argued that the exercise is set to roll out without awareness among the citizens. 

“The documents a common man has are not listed under the SIR. This is a reformed, updated version of NRC,” said groups representing the Alemari community. 

Activist-columnist Shivasundar however argued that the possibility of correction in SIR through the State government intervention is not possible and hence the State should say no to the process. 

‘Axe blow to the foundation of the Constitution’

Describing the SIR as an “axe blow to the foundation of the Constitution”, KPCC President B.K. Hariprasad said that the exercise was part of an “RSS-BJP conspiracy to curtail constitutional rights and disenfranchise women, Dalits and marginalised sections.” A “second freedom struggle” was inevitable to defeat such conspiracy and actions like SIR, he said.  

 Mr. Hariprasad said he had attended as a representative of the government and assured protesters that the Congress party stood firmly with them in their opposition to the SIR.  

He said the demands raised by those opposing SIR were being discussed with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah and other senior party leaders, adding that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was actively working on the issue. “Chief Minister Shivakumar has already instructed that residential certificates be issued through village panchayats,” he added.  

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Hariprasad argued that while citizens were being asked to repeatedly furnish documents to prove their identity and eligibility, the Prime Minister himself had not produced his degree certificate. 

Mr. Hariprasad also argued that institutions such as the Election Commission were filled with “right-wing sympathisers.”