Bengaluru, Dec 13 (IANS) Stepping up its attack on the Congress-led government in Karnataka over the utilisation of funds earmarked for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) welfare, the BJP on Saturday alleged that the “Dalit anyay” (injustice) associated with Rahul Gandhi’s politics has been exposed in the State.
Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka claimed that nearly 31 per cent of funds meant exclusively for the upliftment of SCs and STs had been diverted since 2023 to finance the Congress government’s “so-called guarantee schemes”.
“This is not welfare; this is daylight robbery of SC/ST rights. Money meant for Dalit hostels, education of SC/ST students, entrepreneurship and livelihoods, and housing has been siphoned off to prop up populist politics,” Ashoka charged.
Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi’s slogans, Ashoka said, “And then comes the drama -- ‘Jitni Abadi, Utna Haq’ and ‘Samvidhan khatre mein hai’.”
“This is Dalit anyay. This is ‘Adivasi vishwasghaat’. This is vote-bank politics at the cost of social justice,” he alleged.
Ashoka further said that while Rahul Gandhi “lectures the country with the Constitution in hand”, governments led by his party were “picking the pockets of the very communities the Constitution seeks to protect”.
“Dalits do not need slogans. They need their rightful funds. They need accountability. They need justice -- not deception,” he said.
The BJP leader urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to “stop looting SCSP/TSP (Scheduled Caste Sub Plan and Tribal Sub Plan) funds and stop exploiting Dalits for political gains”.
“Misuse of Dalit funds is the Siddaramaiah government’s so-called achievement,” Ashoka alleged.
He further accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of betraying Dalit leaders and pursuing “anti-Dalit policies”, claiming that funds amounting to Rs 25,000 crore under the SCP/TSP meant for Dalit welfare had been diverted in the name of guarantee schemes.
“Is this your idea of social justice, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah? Is this your commitment to Dalits?” Ashoka asked.
Ashoka also alleged that under the guise of guarantee schemes, the Congress-led Karnataka government had “looted the State’s treasury, stalled development, and betrayed the poor, farmers, women and youth”.
--IANS
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