Congress govt indiscriminately cancelling ration cards deprives poor of essentials: BJP's Ashoka

Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly R Ashoka on Wednesday claimed that the Congress government in the state was planning to indiscriminately cancel ration cards, a move that could plunge lakhs of people in distress.

Ashoka, who attended a photography exhibition depicting the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bengaluru, said, “The state government is planning to cancel 25 lakh ration cards although the official tally of invalid cards is only 13 lakh. This can deprive lakhs of poor families of essential benefits such as free healthcare and medicines.”

 Charging the Congress government with misusing public funds to conduct a fresh caste survey, the LoP added, “The Congress is dividing communities to garner political mileage. The survey should not be conducted during the festive season and must be postponed.”

Accusing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of fuelling inter-caste conflicts, Ashoka said, “What the CM is doing runs contrary to the teachings of reformers such as Kanaka Dasa.”

The LoP further claimed that attempts were being made to sharpen fault-lines within the Christian community. He also warned that attempts to revive the Veerashaiva-Lingayat debate could potentially lead to Congress party’s downfall.  

Lashing out at the state government for failing to fix Bengaluru’s pothole-riddled roads, Ashoka said, “But the government is going ahead with the tunnel-road project. Even BMTC buses are finding it hard to negotiate the conditions of Bengaluru’s roads. Several IT companies are planning on moving to Hyderabad and Chennai, which will adversely impact Karnataka’s economic growth.”  

The LoP further claimed that the state did not have enough funds to compensate farmers for the crops they had lost. “Grants are being distributed unfairly. We need constituency-wise assessment to ensure equitable development across the state,” said Ashoka.

The arrest of the former commissioner of Mysuru Urban Development Authority by the Enforcement Directorate was a good development, said Ashoka. “All the lost funds must be recovered, and all the culprits must be brought to justice,” he added.