Bengaluru, Sep 26 (IANS) The Karnataka unit of BJP has alleged that the Congress-led government in the state has completely trampled upon the Scheduled Castes and Tribes by misusing Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) funds, cheating, and deceiving Dalits.

Speaking at a press conference in the BJP state office, Jagannath Bhavan, here on Friday, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, said: “The Congress government had announced Rs 42,000 crore under SCSP and TSP for Dalits. Out of this, Rs 21,000 crore was distributed to various departments. Of the remaining Rs 21,000 crore, Rs 14,000 crore was diverted for guarantee schemes, thereby deceiving Dalits.”

He further alleged that the remaining Rs 7,000 crore meant for Dalits was given to the Social Welfare Department, where even that money was misused—for Republic Day celebrations, Constitution Day celebrations, and even for the Nagamohan Das Commission.

“This is how Dalit funds have been diverted for other purposes,” he said.

He pointed out that several shortcomings have recently emerged in the Social Welfare Department regarding benefits for Scheduled Castes.

“Earlier, the government directly bore the school and college fees of Dalit students. Now, they have introduced a system where students must first pay the fees themselves, and only then will the government reimburse. This is unacceptable,” he said.

Narayanaswamy mocked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, saying they had taken up begging bowls to cover the potholes on Bengaluru’s roads. He criticised that Bengaluru has been divided into five zones and renamed “Greater Bengaluru”, yet there has been no development.

“The state treasury is completely empty, and the actions of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister reveal it,” he remarked.

He said that BJP leaders themselves had to take part in protests to “open the government’s eyes” about potholes in Bengaluru.

“It is not that there are potholes in the roads; rather, the roads themselves are potholes. This is the condition of the state government,” he ridiculed.

He questioned how Scheduled Caste families, already in poor economic condition, could afford to pay school and college fees upfront.

“Children are stopping their education, yet the government shows no concern,” he said.

Narayanaswamy also objected to the renaming of the “Babu Jagjivan Ram Training and Research Center” as the “Indira Gandhi Vocational Development Center”.

“It was meant to provide coaching and motivation for Scheduled Caste students. What connection does Indira Gandhi have with us? Why erase Babu Jagjivan Ram’s name?” he questioned.

–IANS

mka/pgh