00:00The ongoing SIR process in the state of Karnataka is leading to a political fight after D.K.
00:06Shrifkumar alleged that there's been mass voter deletions in Karnataka.
00:10An NDA delegation has met with the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer and filed a complaint
00:17against the D.K.'s government claiming that they have unduly interfered and influenced
00:22the process of conducting SIR.
00:24So while you've got on one hand D.K.
00:26Shrifkumar staging dharna after dharna suggesting that it is the BJP that's influencing the SIR
00:32process and ensuring mass deletion of votes, now you've got NDA leaders suggesting that
00:39no, that's not the case.
00:41There's an attempt by the government to influence the SIR process.
00:45Meanwhile, you've also had the Karnataka Congress filing a complaint to the police alleging irregularities
00:50of voter deletions.
00:51This is at the Jainagar Assembly constituency.
00:53So a full-blown political fight that's playing out over Form 7 in Karnataka.
00:59But let me run you through exactly what the allegations are of Chief Minister D.K.
01:04Shrifkumar.
01:05In his most detailed interview on the showdown with the Election Commission, here's what
01:10D.K.
01:11Shrifkumar in this exclusive conversation with India Today's Sagair Raj has spoken out about
01:16why he believes that there's a misuse of Form 7, why he believes that voter numbers are
01:22being deleted on Mars based on, according to him, the BJP's orders.
01:33We are joined with Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr. D.K. Shukumar.
01:36Thank you so much for talking to India Today, sir.
01:39Sir, India Today has done an investigation in Bengaluru, especially in Alsuru, sir, where
01:43we have found out that in a family of 32 members, eight voters from the same family have been
01:49targeted.
01:50And they alleged that just because they were Muslims, they have been targeted by one of
01:55the local BJP leaders in that particular area, sir.
01:58How do you see this particular development?
02:02See, you all know that we all are fighting for the right.
02:09Our leader, Sri Rahul Gandhi and Malika Ajinkarke took up this issue in Bangalore.
02:14You are telling Karnataka, Bangalore.
02:18This is not Bangalore.
02:20In the entire country and entire part of the state, this type of misuse by the BJP workers
02:27has been exposed.
02:31Why I went to the Election Commission office was, I have made a thorough investigation before
02:38all of you have done, my team, my political team, my personal team, and my official team.
02:45All I have gone and inquired about it, more than lakhs of forums have been printed in Delhi
02:53in different part.
02:55Even those who gave this forum number seven, they also doesn't know.
03:01It has been given to the local assembly segment leaders and the state leaders.
03:07These state leaders have been given to the assembly segment leaders and they have asked
03:12just to sign and given.
03:14Some of them have signed 100, 200, 300, 30, 40 and given.
03:20They don't know what they are doing.
03:22They don't know names.
03:24Some of them are not in the assembly constituency also.
03:27Some of them not.
03:28Now, already about leader of the opposition and the BJP leaders have admitted that there
03:34is nothing fault in it.
03:36That means they also have been admitted that these forms have been brought and given to
03:41them.
03:42So, already by knowing that the Election Commission has already given an instruction that you have
03:48to delete names only after a thorough inquiry.
03:51And a series of meeting has been conducted in Delhi also.
03:56Though the State Election Commission tried to convince me and send me, I know what they
04:00do.
04:01So, ultimately, we did not yield.
04:03As the Chief Minister of the State, it is my bound duty to protect all every section of
04:07the voters.
04:08They are not looking only minorities.
04:10They are looking at the back-out class, should be cast, lower-up class.
04:13That is why the Election Commission also, after, in the midnight, which they have received, they
04:20said, a thorough investigation has to be done to facilitate them that whose names are being
04:29deleted can apply for enrollment at any point of time.
04:32And they have already said that even all the eligible, including the people who are sleeping,
04:40who doesn't have a house also, who has, you see, beside the above, booth-level camps shall
04:45be organized to facilitate submission of application for enrollment, local-level outreach, sweep activities,
04:55regular press briefings, and suitable platforms for ensuring that every eligible citizen need
05:02awareness of the opportunity to be get.
05:05And they have said that even the application for enrollment, special camps may also be organized,
05:12such as enrollment of people living in night shelters, labor colonies, as well for the homeless
05:19and marginalized per person.
05:21That means all these sections.
05:22They were targeting all these sections because all these sections are the part of, in history,
05:28they vote for the Congress Party.
05:30They are trying to target all these parties, poor people, traditional voters of the Congress Party,
05:36and they are doing it.
05:38Now they are going to the DG.
05:40They are going to the police officers.
05:42They don't take action on their political workers.
05:47Let they themselves declare that, yes, we have done, we have given.
05:51So let the poor workers of the BJP, they don't know.
05:57These are the culprits.
05:59They are the culprits, senior culprits who have been engaged, printed, and all.
06:03So we will not live at this stage.
06:07There is a procedure.
06:08Many affairs have been filed.
06:10And the Election Commission will have to look into detail.
06:13The BROs will have to look into all these things.
06:16When they found that already they have collected back thousands of lakhs of applications in the bank.
06:22Some of them are afraid and they have taken back.
06:24Now all the BROs know about it.
06:28So now they should give all those documents and they should file a case legally as per the law of
06:34this country.
06:35Sir, your protests have a huge impact, one, across the state of Karnataka, two, across India, where many political parties
06:42are coming out and questioning this SIR.
06:44And in Karnataka, if you notice that, there are protests in many districts, especially in Vijayapura, Belagavi, and other parts,
06:51where people who have been declared as a death, and a death certificate which was being produced earlier, same people
06:57coming out and say that they are alive.
06:59And there are people who have misused their names and given death certificates.
07:03How do you see these kind of developments?
07:05Do you take credit for this?
07:07I don't want to take credit.
07:09This is the credit of every voter.
07:11Every right to vote is like to leave.
07:14It is not my credit.
07:16It is the Congress Party which has been fighting for this.
07:19And many of the India Alliance group also should be warned out of it.
07:23Already they removed many governments on this.
07:25That is what Mr. Malikajan Kargay was very clear after this SIR came.
