Karnataka BJP alleges diversion of SC/ST welfare funds towards five guarantees
Bengaluru, Jul 6: Karnataka BJP has accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of utilising Rs 14,800-crore funds meant for the Scheduled Caste Sub-plan and Tribal Sub-plan for the five guarantees.
The party on Friday said the funds meant for the welfare of downtrodden communities were diverted to fulfil the poll promises.
In a post on 'X' (formerly Twitter), Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka alleged that the chief minister has "squandered" the funds for the SC/ST welfare on the pretext of funding the five guarantees.
According to Ashoka, Rs 7,881.91 crore of SCSP-TSP has been utilised for 'Gruhalakshmi' scheme, Rs 70.28 crore for 'Bhagyalakshmi' scheme, Rs 2585.93 crore for 'Gruhajyoti' scheme, Rs 448.15 crore for 'Annabhagya' scheme, Rs 2,187 crore for the direct benefit transfer of 'Annabhagya' scheme, and Rs 1,451.45 crore for 'Shakti' scheme and Rs 175.50 crore for 'Yuva Nidhi' scheme.
The BJP leader alleged that the state government has already embezzled Rs 187 crore belonging to the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
The chief minister defended the move claiming that the SCSP-TSP funds were spent on par with the SC/ST population in the state.
"Most of the beneficiaries of these guarantees are from SC/ST communities," the chief minister claimed.
The anti-dalit @INCKarnataka Govt diverts ₹14,730 crores meant for development of SC and ST communities to fund its guarantee schemes.
— R. Ashoka (ಮೋದಿ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬ) (@RAshokaBJP) July 6, 2024
Self-proclaimed champion of Social Justice CM @siddaramaiah avare, you looted the ₹187 crore Dalit's money in Valmiki ST welfare board, now… pic.twitter.com/0farmJKGSA
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We will move court again to resist voter deletions: Mamata
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hit out at the BJP and the Election Commission over voter deletions during the SIR exercise and said her party will move a court again to resist the removal of electors from the rolls.
Her comments came after nearly 91 lakh voters' names were deleted from the electoral rolls following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision in the state.
“You will not be able to defeat the TMC by deleting names. We will move a court again to resist the exclusion of names," Banerjee said while attacking her principal challenger BJP over the roll revision exercise.
Banerjee had in February argued in the Supreme Court as she sought an intervention in the SIR process.
The EC figures, which pushed the total deletion to over 90.83 lakh names from the original voter base of 7.66 crore in October 2025, showed that the proportion of removal of electors now remains at over 11.85 per cent.
Criticising the poll panel over the SIR process, she also said, "We will fight legally to get the names included on the list as per the Constitution. If people cannot cast their votes, what is the need to frame the tribunal? And then you are saying that the list has been frozen. What is this? We will challenge it and try to understand it."
Addressing a poll rally at Arambagh in Hooghly district, the TMC supremo accused the saffron party of trying to manipulate the electoral rolls and offering money to woo voters.
Banerjee also charged the Election Commission with intimidating people over the phone.
“It (EC) is working at the behest of the BJP. It is calling people over the telephone to threaten and intimidate them,” she claimed.
Later, while speaking at a rally in Balagarh in the same district, Banerjee warned that voting for the BJP would effectively mean "giving up fish, meat, and speaking in Bengali".
“People are not allowed to eat eggs, fish, or meat in the BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. The same will happen here if the BJP comes to power," Banerjee claimed.
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