BJP warns K'taka govt of protest if fund given to 'guarantees' from SC/ST funds is not withdrawn
Bengaluru, Aug 4: Senior BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Friday warned the Congress government in Karnataka of state-wide protests on behalf of the SC/ST community, if it does not withdraw the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan (SCSP-TSP) funds given to the five guarantee schemes.
The former CM said this while participating in the protest organised by the BJP at Freedom Park here, against the state government for allegedly diverting SCP-TSP funds to guarantee schemes.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led government is facing criticism for allocating Rs 11,144 crore of the total Rs 34,294 crore under SCP-TSP grants, for implementing the five guarantees.
Bommai alleged that the Congress, which came to power giving assurances to the people, is now ''playing games with the lives of Dalits''.
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Noting that both Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who had gone to Dalits' houses to give guarantee cards ahead of elections, should have told them that they will use SCP TSP money, he said, ''But, without telling then, now you are using the money of Dalits to arrange the money (for guarantee schemes), this is a betrayal of the Dalits.'' Alleging that the Congress government is leading the state towards bankruptcy in the name of guarantees, he said, ''I said during the budget itself, you (government) have said that you will give Rs 34,000 crores, but you are giving only about Rs 23,000 crores to SCP TSP. You have earmarked about Rs 700 crores of SCP TSP for Shakti scheme. How do you identify who is SC and ST under Shakti Yojana?'' ''Rs 5,500 crores is being given for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, which is for women head of families, how will you find who among them is SC or ST? Almost Rs 11,000 crores diverted from SCP TSP (for guarantee schemes), all of it will not be utilised for the SC/ST community,'' he further added.
Had this money been available, thousands of 'Ganga Kalyana' borewells could have been drilled for Dalits, SC/ST Hostel could have been constructed, thousands of students could be educated, he said, adding that ''You (govt) did injustice to SC/ST people.'' Siddaramaiah on Thursday said that the government will not use SCP-TSP funds for anything else, other than welfare of SC/ST communities.
However, he said, these funds will be used only for SC/ST beneficiaries under guarantee schemes, after taking into account specific numbers of beneficiaries.
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
