HYDERABAD: BJP state president N Ramchander Rao alleged that the Congress government’s decision to issue Family Register Certificates (FRCs) was a backdoor attempt to legalise Rohingya and Bangladeshi vote banks. He accused the Revanth Reddy government of pursuing an appeasement policy at the behest of AIMIM, which had publicly demanded such certificates to prevent names from being deleted during the SIR. Soon after, the government introduced FRCs through MeeSeva.
Addressing the media at the BJP office here on Tuesday, Ramchander Rao said the decision to issue FRCs during the SIR raised serious constitutional, legal, electoral and national security concerns. He alleged that projecting FRCs as valid documents for the SIR process was an attempt to protect and expand illegal vote-bank politics pursued by the Congress, BRS and AIMIM.
He said FRCs, generally issued in matters concerning government employees, could be misused if issued widely during the SIR process.
BJP asks EC to reject FRCs
The state BJP, meanwhile, urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to direct district election officers and electoral registration officers not to accept FRCs as proof of citizenship during the SIR process.
In a representation to the Chief Election Commissioner and state Chief Electoral Officer, the party alleged that the government order introducing FRCs could facilitate the inclusion of ineligible voters.
It argued that changing documentary requirements midway through the SIR process was legally untenable and that FRCs could neither establish citizenship nor voter eligibility.