The BJP flag.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mysuru: The President of Karnataka BJP Backward Classes Morcha R Raghu (Kautilya) on Thursday suggested that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s claims to be the champion of Ahinda communities are hollow and are only meant for fulfilling his selfish motives, such as coming to power.
Addressing a media conference here on Thursday, Raghu said, "Siddaramaiah has not even released the regular funds to the boards and corporations meant for the development of various backward communities."
AHINDA is the acronym for Alpasankyatha (minorities), Hindulida (backward) and Dalit (Scheduled Castes), coined by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2005.
Protest
Raghu, also the former chairman of the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA), said that members of the Backward Class communities would stage a state-wide protest to demand funds for their welfare on Friday.
“They will stage protests in all district headquarters. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra will lead the protest shortly,” he said.
Raghu said, “It has been almost two years since Siddaramaiah assumed office as CM for a second term. But so far, his government has released only Rs 170 crore, in comparison with its announcement of Rs 300 crore for the boards and corporations under the Backward Classes and Social Welfare Ministries."
"It can be noted that the earlier, the Basavaraja Bommai government had released Rs 546 crore. Siddaramaiah, who does vote-bank politics, claiming to be the saviour of the Ahinda communities, should have released multiples of Rs 546 crore. But, he has failed to even match the announcement of Rs 300 crore," Raghu charged.
“Under the guise of the five popular guarantee schemes, which are short-term solutions to the problems, Siddaramaiah is cheating the people. If the boards and corporations get sufficient funds, people become self-reliant and self-sustainable, as the schemes of the boards and corporations facilitate self-employment and development of various vocations, including agriculture. If this neglect continues, the boards and corporation would shut down, leaving the needy youth helpless,” Raghu pointed out.
He said that the Arivu scheme, which empowers the youth educationally, has been entirely stopped by the Siddaramaiah government. “Applications have been invited, but no student has got a loan under the scheme. Under Arivu, an eligible student gets an interest-free loan of up to Rs 20 lakh, to pursue technical or higher education,” he explained.
BJP leaders Mahesh Raj Urs, Balaraj, Girish and Ravishankar were present in the press meet.