Cong indirectly blaming its booth agents: BJP

United News of India

a day ago

Bengaluru, Aug 9 (UNI) Former Karnataka Assembly Speaker and sitting BJP MP Vishweshwar Hegade Kageri today claimed that Congress leaders, in their criticism of alleged irregularities in the voters' list, were indirectly blaming their own party workers for failing in their election duties.
'Every booth has Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from all parties. Congress leaders -- Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar -- are effectively saying that their BLAs did not perform their duties properly. If there were any discrepancies, these agents — many of them Congress workers — should have flagged them immediately at the booth level,' Kageri told media.
Explaining the process, he said voter lists and slips are given to households before polling day through Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and BLAs, with signatures and forms collected for verification. 'We record exactly how many votes were cast and by whom. If irregularities existed, they should have been reported on the spot to the Election Commission (EC) or officials at various levels, not brought up later,' he said.
Kageri stressed that neither the BJP nor the Central government had any role in preparing or managing the voter list. 'If the Congress truly wants to establish the facts, they should submit documents to the EC in the format prescribed by its guidelines. The EC will take corrective action if mistakes are found,' he added.
Slamming Congress for raising the Bihar election issue nationwide, Kageri termed it an 'unpardonable offence' aimed at creating tension rather than preserving public trust. He alleged the party was 'misleading people through lack of information and misinformation.'
Accusing Congress of treating the Election Commission like a political opponent, Kageri said the party had already failed to play a constructive role as the Opposition in Parliament by repeatedly disrupting proceedings.
'Now they are trying to play the same role before the EC,' he said, urging the party to cooperate in ensuring transparent polls and to submit constructive suggestions to the EC or government.
Kageri accused Congress of systematically undermining the country's constitutional institutions, alleging that party leader Rahul Gandhi has been creating 'distrust' over the voters' list to discredit the Election Commission.
'Rahul Gandhi has, for months, been trying to sow doubts about our constitutionally established system. Whether it was releasing Karnataka's voters' list in Delhi, including that of Mahadevapura, or making claims about voter data in Bihar, his actions suggest that the very material he uses for political attacks is ending up in other hands,' Kageri told reporters.
He alleged that Congress 'has no faith in the Constitution, in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, or in democratic institutions,' citing the Emergency, press censorship, and judicial interference during the party's past rule. 'From creating doubts about EVMs earlier to now questioning the voters' list, Congress is attempting to weaken public trust in the system,' he said.
Defending the Election Commission, Kageri said it was an independent constitutional body working transparently and reliably. 'Our system is not person-centric or leader-directed, as Congress governance used to be. If there are flaws, there are procedures at every level to address them,' he said.
Kageri accused the Congress of using the Bihar voters' list issue to stoke suspicion nationwide, motivated by 'fear of losing.' 'They first said EVMs are faulty, now they say the voters' list is flawed — this is a deliberate attempt to undermine democracy,' he remarked.
The BJP leader further charged that the Congress government in Karnataka had 'increased corruption, stalled development, misrepresented minority issues, and lost the trust of the people.' He urged citizens to reject attempts to create mistrust in the democratic system.
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