Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 27: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has urged the Karnataka government not to divert funds reserved under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) for fulfilling its guarantee schemes.
Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy accused the Congress-led government of misusing funds meant for Dalits and demanded transparency in budget allocations. Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office, he claimed that despite reserving Rs 39,000 crore for Dalit welfare, the government had failed to distribute even Rs 500 crore among development corporations such as the Ambedkar Corporation, Adi Jambhava Corporation, Bovi Corporation, and Valmiki Corporation.
Narayanaswamy objected to the alleged practice of diverting SCP and TSP funds, calling it a "grave injustice." He argued that these allocations should be used for Dalit welfare initiatives such as land distribution, job creation, self-employment loans, and vehicle purchase schemes.
“The Congress government has not given a single car to Dalit drivers, yet they buy expensive vehicles for themselves,” he remarked.
He also criticised the government for failing to increase free electricity benefits for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, stating that under the previous BJP government, 75 units of free power were provided.
Narayanaswamy further alleged that Congress had failed to fulfill promises of housing, land distribution, and irrigation schemes for Dalits. “If Dalits and backward communities become aware of Ambedkar’s philosophy, there will be no place for Congress,” he asserted.
Mocking Congress leaders, he claimed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar had misled the public by portraying guarantees as universally free. “Initially, they claimed guarantees were for everyone. Now, they have imposed restrictions and diluted benefits,” he said.
Accusing the government of diverting Rs 11,144 crore in the first year and Rs 14,282 crore in the second year from SCP and TSP allocations, Narayanaswamy warned against further fund misappropriation in the upcoming budget, set to be presented on March 7.
He reiterated that while BJP had no objection to guarantees, using funds meant for Dalits was a betrayal of their rights.