Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (NJC)

Mangaluru, Nov 11: Karnataka Cashew Development Corporation (KCDC) chairperson Mamatha Gatti alleged that BJP MP Tejasvi Surya had made misleading remarks regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls without properly understanding the facts surrounding the issue.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress Bhavan in Mallikatte on Wednesday she said the meeting was organised to bring the actual facts concerning the voter-list controversy in Talapady to the attention of the print and visual media in Dakshina Kannada.

Referring to the recent BJP convention attended by Tejasvi Surya, she said concerns had been raised over the inclusion of five Muslim members of a family in the voter list, questioning the SIR exercise and Congress's opposition to it. However, she alleged that neither those present at the event nor those applauding the remarks were aware of the actual facts.

Explaining the issue, Gatti said that five members of Mohammed Nazeer's family, residing at house number 1-288C in Talapady , were listed under Part No. 186 of the electoral roll. Similarly, Satyamurthy K and three members of his family, residing at house number 1-288, were also registered under the same part number.

She clarified that house numbers 1-288 and 1-288C refer to two separate houses, with 1-288 being the Gram Panchayat door number and 1-288C a distinct door number. Mohammed Nazeer and his family have reportedly been residing at the address for more than 20 years and had also exercised their voting rights in 2002.

The inclusion of Nazeer's family members in the electoral roll became controversial after Satyamurthy raised an objection, she said. However, Gatti maintained that the names had been included through the proper process and alleged that misinformation was being circulated on social media regarding the matter.

She further said that the complaint had already been clarified and urged public representatives to verify facts with the concerned officials, including the deputy commissioner, before making statements in public.

"People trust their elected representatives, including MPs and MLAs, as they represent everyone. When a leader speaks on a public platform, people tend to believe and applaud their statements. Therefore, leaders must speak responsibly and should not make allegations based merely on complaints without verifying the facts," she said.

Gatti urged political leaders to avoid misleading statements and ensure that accurate information reaches the public, adding that the Congress was also undertaking extensive groundwork under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi to identify discrepancies in the electoral rolls and ensure a comprehensive verification process.