Formulate Rs 1,000 cr action plan for development of minority colonies: CM Siddaramaiah to officials
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday directed officials concerned to formulate a Rs 1,000 crore action plan for the development of minority colonies.
The Chief Minister issued the direction while reviewing the progress of Minority Welfare and Housing Departments today.
He instructed that the areas with sizeable minority population be identified, and allocation of grants be made, during the preparation of the action plan.
Siddaramaiah said in the wake of the suspension of the scholarship given by the central government to the minority students, the state government has decided to bear the cost and disburse scholarship to 6.4 lakh students.
Pointing out that Rs 60 crore has been allocated in the budget, he said instruction has been given to officials to arrange additional 40 crores by redistributing the funds available in the Minority Welfare department.
A huge number of applications have been received online for various schemes meant for minorities and it has been decided to provide more grants for the same next year, he added.
Noting that construction of 1.31 lakh houses out of 3 lakh houses has been completed so far in the current year under various schemes, the Chief Minister, who also reviewed the Housing department, directed officials to complete work on 1.6 lakh houses by March.
Housing, Minority Welfare and Haj Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan and other officials were present at the meeting.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
