Karnataka BJP accuses Congress govt of diverting funds meant for marginalised communities
Bengaluru, Jul 28 (PTI): Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Monday accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of "diverting funds meant for the welfare of marginalised communities."
Addressing a press conference, Vijayendra alleged that in its two-and-a-half years in power, the Congress has "misused grants" allocated for the social, educational, and economic upliftment of oppressed sections to fund its guarantee schemes.
These include—200 units of free electricity to all households under the 'Gruha Jyoti' scheme, and Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family through 'Gruha Lakshmi'.
The 'Anna Bhagya' scheme provides an additional 5 kg of rice to each member of below-poverty-line households.
Under 'Yuva Nidhi', unemployed graduate youth are offered Rs 3,000 per month, while diploma holders receive Rs 1,500 per month, for a period of two years.
Additionally, 'Shakti' offers free bus travel for women in public transport buses across the state.
Vijayendra claimed the Congress has historically "exploited" marginalised communities as a vote bank and continues to "deceive" them even now. The government, he alleged, was doing "injustice to those who genuinely need support".
"The BJP has been relentlessly fighting this injustice both within and outside the legislature," he claimed.
Vijayendra further alleged that in the 2025-26 budget, Rs 11,896 crore earmarked for the development of Scheduled Castes and Tribes had once again been diverted to other programmes, "denying justice to the intended beneficiaries."
He said the BJP would raise the issue in the legislature and "hold the government accountable".
Reaffirming the party’s commitment to social justice, Vijayendra said the BJP believed in ensuring that benefits reached the last person in society and would soon launch a strong movement on the issue.
The party, he said, would continue to be "the voice of the marginalised."
He also accused Congress leaders of shedding "crocodile tears" for backward communities while using the AHINDA (a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) platform to consolidate power under Siddaramaiah’s leadership.
The BJP, he asserted, would continue to question the alleged injustices under the current dispensation.
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Niqab incident: Nitish Kumar perhaps revealing his true colours, says J-K CM
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday criticised his Bihar counterpart over the niqab incident and said that Nitish Kumar might be slowly revealing his true nature.
"Nitish Kumar, who was once considered a secular leader, may be slowly showing his true colours," Abdullah told reporters here on the sidelines of a function.
Abdullah said Kumar removing the face veil of a Muslim woman doctor was wrong and cannot be justified by any means.
"We have seen this kind of incident here several years ago. Have you forgotten how Mehbooba Mufti removed the burqa of a legitimate voter inside a polling station? That act was wrong, and this act (of Kumar) is also wrong.
"If the (Bihar) chief minister did not want to hand over the order to her (Muslim woman), they could have kept her aside. However, to humiliate her like this is totally wrong," the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.
Kumar stirred a huge controversy after he removed the face veil of a Muslim woman at a function earlier this week.
