BENGALURU : Continuing its attack against the state government over alleged theft of voter data, the Congress on Saturday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and sought a judicial probe into the matter by the chief justice of Karnataka High Court.
“Bommai and the BBMP authorised the NGO Chilume Trust through a written order to collect voter data that is tantamount to sanctioning theft. This is illegal data collection. It is a flagrant violation of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951,” AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said at a joint press conference with senior Congress leaders.
On one hand, the CM claimed that it was a baseless allegation, but on the other, he asked the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner to lodge an FIR, besides withdrawing the order that permitted the NGO to collect voters’ data and ordering a probe, he said.
“When the CM himself has rejected the allegations, the police probe he ordered will be farcical. We will approach the Chief Election Commissioner and eventually go to the people’s court,” Surjewala said. He felt that the FIR against booth workers hired by Chilume will not help as they were whistleblowers who helped in unearthing the scam.
Pointing out that former BJP MLA Nandish Reddy, in his affidavit, mentioned that he has donated Rs 18 lakh to Chilume, the Congress leader sought details of the NGO’s funds. The NGO had hired 15,000 people on contract for data collection with salaries ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000 but was collecting the data for the BBMP free of cost, he said.
BJP wants voters awareness activities probed from 2013
As the Opposition Congress has demanded a judicial probe into the alleged tempering of voters’ data, the ruling BJP said Chilume, an NGO was allowed to take up voters awareness activities and voters list revision work in 2017-18 when the Congress party was in power in the state.
A delegation of BJP leaders consisting of legislators N Ravi Kumar, Ravi Subramanya and Chaluvadi Narayanswamy met the Election Commission officials in Bengaluru on Saturday and demanded a probe from 2013 onwards. The Congress had come to power in the state after the 2013 assembly polls.
Terming allegations made by Congress as politically motivated, the BJP said the Election Commission must take stern action against any private agency or an individual involved in any irregularities.