‘Congress govt crossed constitutional line’: LoP R Ashoka slams Karnataka’s doorstep PRC distribution

BENGALURU: Oppositon Leader in the Assembly, R Ashoka, on Monday strongly condemned the state government’s launch of doorstep distribution of Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs), calling it a “dangerous constitutional overreach” with implications for national security and federal structure.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Deputy CM G Parameshwara on Monday inaugurated the free delivery of caste certificates and the new PRC distribution service at Vidhana Soudha.

Hitting out at the move, Ashoka said the initiative was not a routine administrative reform. “The Congress Government in Karnataka has crossed a dangerous constitutional line. This is not a routine administrative exercise or reform. It raises serious constitutional, legal and national security concerns with implications that extend far beyond Karnataka,” he said in a statement.

Posing a direct question to the CM, Ashoka asked, “Which provision of the Constitution empowers a State Government to issue a Permanent Residence Certificate?”

The Congress Government in Karnataka has crossed a dangerous constitutional line.

Chief Minister @DKShivakumar has today launched the doorstep distribution of Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs). This is not a routine administrative exercise or reform. It raises serious… https://t.co/9w43S6k5fc

— R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) July 20, 2026

He argued that citizenship, foreigners and immigration are subjects entrusted to the Union under the Constitution, and accused the Congress government of “blurring these constitutional boundaries through an executive exercise whose legal foundation remains deeply questionable.”

Ashoka also flagged the timing of the launch, saying it coincided with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out across the country.

“While the SIR of electoral rolls is underway across the country, Karnataka has rushed to introduce a State-wide PRC programme. Why the haste? Who benefits from it? Why was such an exercise considered necessary at this sensitive juncture? The people of India deserve answers,” he said.

He warned that without clear constitutional authority and safeguards, the policy “risks creating avenues for fraudulent documentation, administrative misuse and serious national security concerns.”

The LoP demanded that the Karnataka Government immediately suspend the exercise and place the complete policy in the public domain, with clarity on its legal authority. “This is not just about Karnataka. It is about the Constitution. It is about the federal structure. It is about protecting the integrity of our institutions,” Ashoka said.

“If the Congress Government refuses to retreat, the BJP will challenge this move politically, legally and constitutionally. We will not allow the Constitution to be undermined for political expediency,” he said. “The Constitution is not a political playground. India cannot afford such dangerous precedents,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission extended the deadlines for the enumeration period and subsequently the publication of the final list in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi, Punjab, Telangana and Karnataka.

In the national capital and Karnataka, the enumeration period has been extended from July 29 to August 8. The draft electoral rolls will now be published on August 17 against the previous deadline of August 5. The claims and objection period will be August 17 to September 16, and the final lists will be published on October 19, 12 days after the previous deadline of October 7. (ANI)