D K Shivakumar (L), Pinarayi Vijayan.
Credit; DH, PTI Photos
New Delhi/Bengaluru: Leaders of the ruling Congress in Karnataka on Saturday reacted sharply to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's criticism of "bulldozer action" to evict minorities from a Bengaluru locality, insisting they cannot allow setting up of slums in the city and asked him to focus on his state.
As the controversy escalated, Congress high command said the Karnataka government should have exercised "far greater caution, sensitivity and compassion".
While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defended the eviction drive at Fakir Colony, saying it was necessary against the illegal occupation of government land, his deputy D K Shivakumar asked Vijayan to refrain from "interfering in Karnataka's affairs", remarks that were echoed by his Cabinet colleague Ramalinga Reddy.
Vijayan slammed the alleged "bulldozer action" in Bengaluru in a Facebook post on Friday. He strongly criticised the reported demolition, calling the action "shocking and painful".
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah said that since 2019, people were living without authorisation on a five-acre plot designated for solid waste management.
"... there is no safety there. So officials served notice to the illegal occupants, asking them to vacate. As they failed to vacate, they were evicted," he said.
The chief minister said he has asked the Greater Bengaluru Authority chief commissioner and the Urban Development Department secretary to make alternative arrangements for those evicted "because most of them are migrants".
"They have come here from other places, but from the human point of view, we have to make alternative arrangements and provide them a dwelling," he added.
Deputy CM Shivakumar called Vijayan's remarks a "political statement," and advised him not to interfere in Karnataka's affairs.
"Without knowing the facts, Pinarayi should not interfere in our state's affairs. These are all political gimmicks at the time of the elections," Shivakumar, who is also Congress state president, told reporters in Bengaluru. The assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Kerala a few months from now.
He said it was unfortunate that senior leaders like Vijayan commented on the matter without knowing the facts of the issues in Bengaluru.
According to Shivakumar, the slum dwellers came and "captured" the land overnight. Barring a few, most of the encroachers are outsiders, he said.
The Congress government knows Bengaluru well, and it does not want to entertain the slum created by land mafias, the deputy chief minister said.
"We tried to protect our land, and we are ready to give houses to those who are eligible, under the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana. Our chief minister and I have directed officers to submit a report, which they did. Our leaders from Kerala have also spoken to me," he added.
He clarified that no bulldozers were used in the eviction drive. Instead, the government tried to protect the public place, which is in the heart of the city.
"We can't encourage slums like this. It is a site meant for waste management," Shivakumar said.
He added that he would give a reply to Vijayan and would send a report on the incident to him and the Congress leaders in Kerala.
"It is a routine thing that takes place in Bengaluru. You know that it is not like Mumbai or any other city. We don't have many slums in Bengaluru, and don't want to create slums in the city," he asserted.
Shivakumar said the place where the slum had come up falls under the Byatarayanapura assembly segment, represented by Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda.
He said Gowda is a very learned senior leader of the Congress and was aware of the status of the site. He was the one who directed officers not to allow any land grab attempts, Shivakumar said.
"No one should come and put up huts there. It is not a question of minorities or other people. We don't want to hurt anyone, but if anyone wants land and are eligible, we will definitely give houses," the state Congress chief said.
He further said that the Congress government has planned for lakhs of houses in the city.
"Our chief minister and our Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan are in talks with the officers to find out how to rehabilitate them," he said, adding that only the genuine cases will be considered.
Shivakumar said the land in question was notified nine years ago for solid waste management, where people built slums in the quarry pit overnight.
Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, too, advised Vijayan to look after his own state first.
"Let him look after his state, we will look after ours. However, I don't know why those dwellings were evicted because I was not in the city. I will react after getting the details," Reddy said.
In his post, the Kerala chief minister earlier said the incident reflected a form of minority-targeting politics seen earlier in north India and warned that such practices were now spreading to the south.
He alleged that entire families were forced out of their homes in harsh winter conditions and pushed onto the streets, leaving them with no choice but to flee.
With the issue snowballing into a major controversy, Congress General Secretary and Alapuzha MP K C Venugopal said he spoke to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar regarding the demolition of unauthorised constructions in the Kogilu village.
"Conveyed the AICC’s serious concern that such actions should have been undertaken with far greater caution, sensitivity, and compassion, keeping the human impact at the centre," Venugopal said.
According to the Congress general secretary, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have assured him that they will personally engage with the affected families, put in place an appropriate mechanism for addressing grievances, and ensure rehabilitation and relief for those impacted.