Diversion of SC, ST fund in Karnataka exposes Rahul's double standards: BJP
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Friday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of diverting the fund meant for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to fulfil the guarantees promised by Rahul Gandhi during the state elections. Addressing a press conference, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said what the Congress government is doing in Karnataka is in violation of the Constitution and demanded action.
"People are being deceived in Karnataka," he said, claiming that Gandhi's double standards have been exposed.
On the one hand Rahul Gandhi is moving around carrying a copy of the Constitution, while Constitutional values are being violated in the state, he said.
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Citing a report, he claimed over Rs 14,730 crore out of Rs 39,121 crore meant for the SC and ST welfare has been diverted to implements various sops the Congress has promised under its guarantees during the 2023 assembly polls.
Meghwal accused the Congress of spreading a fake narrative during the recent Lok Sabha polls, an apparent reference to the opposition's charge that the Modi government wanted to change the Constitution by seeking a big mandate.
"They might have succeeded in winning a few seats but can never win people's hearts," he said.
Asked about the Supreme Court's recent verdict which said a divorced Muslim woman has the right to seek maintenance from her husband, he said the apex court's judgment should be respected by everyone.
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Confident we are going to win Kerala: Shashi Tharoor
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday expressed confidence in the victory of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, saying the Congress-led alliance will win more than 75 seats out of the total 140 in the state.
Tharoor, who hails from Kerala, said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls, most of which predicted a victory for the UDF that has been out of power for 10 years in the state.
"We have been on the ground. I have campaigned in 59 constituencies across 12 districts out of 14. I was very confident we are going to win.
"Everything that I have picked up from not just my party colleagues and workers but also from other observers, media and others have always convinced me that we were going to score a comfortable win of above 75 seats. And all the (exit) polls have confirmed the same thing," he told reporters here.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls but in general he was not a big fan of exit polls in India.
"Because ours is not purely a homogenous society. We have to take into account gender issue, caste issue, class issue, regional disparities. You never get a convincingly large enough sample to give an accurate poll and now there is the additional complication that we have heard about in West Bengal this year that many people are unwilling to answer the questions of the pollsters," he said.
The Congress leader said normally, it used to be below 10 per cent that people said that they would not answer.
"Even if you are a reputable exit pollster, in Bengal, one polling company has said 60 per cent of people refused to answer. So, what is the worth of a poll where 60 per cent of your respondents have not answered," he said.
Several exit polls on Wednesday predicted a comeback by the Congress-led UDF in Kerala after 10 years, dethroning the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Polling for the 140-member Kerala assembly was held on April 9. Results of assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry, besides Kerala, will be announced on May 4.
