Bengaluru, Jan 1 (IANS) Responding to allegations by BJP leaders that the Congress-led government in Karnataka is providing houses to Bangladeshi encroachers, Housing and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan on Thursday said there was no question of allotting houses to outsiders and challenged the opposition to prove that the affected persons were Bangladeshis.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Zameer Khan said: “All of them are locals. Even if outsiders had stayed there and lost their houses, we will not allot houses to them. Propaganda is being spread. I observed that the Leader of the Opposition, R. Ashoka, visited the site and claimed that they are Bangladeshis. He is the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly. I want to ask him — can Bangladeshis be allotted houses here?”

He further said, “Even if outsiders are present, is it legally possible to allot houses to them? Document verification is currently under way. The Deputy Commissioner and the Tahsildar have advised us not to rush the process so that no injustice is done, and they have sought more time.”

“Hence, I met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and conveyed that we should not hurry to allot houses on January 1 as announced earlier, and instead take time and do it on January 2. The Deputy Commissioner has spoken to me. Almost everything is in place,” the minister said.

Zameer Khan said that a total of 257 houses are located at Kogilu Layout, of which 167 houses were demolished.

“The final decision rests with the Chief Minister. Only local residents will be allotted houses. For political reasons, statements are being made. How is that tenable?” he asked.

He said that beneficiaries must be residents of Karnataka and should possess Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards and Aadhaar cards.

“Is it possible to allot houses to outsiders? There is no question of doing so. Those who speak Urdu or come from outside will not be given houses,” he stated.

“There must be authentic documents such as voter ID cards and ration cards. Let the opposition prove that the affected persons are Bangladeshis. How can they live here in India? How can they be in Karnataka? Is it possible? They should not speak irresponsibly,” the minister charged.

Meanwhile, sources said that on Friday (January 2), the government will allot houses to those whose homes, built on government land, were demolished at Kogilu Layout in Bengaluru. The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation are making the allotments for eligible beneficiaries.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has instructed officials to identify genuine beneficiaries. Revenue Department and GBA officials are carrying out the verification process, and preparations have been completed to hand over the houses, sources said.

Meanwhile, in a post on social media platform X, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka on Thursday alleged: “In Karnataka, Kannadigas are being deceived and ‘mini Bangladeshes’ are being created. After the Congress-led government came to power, the state is turning into a hub of mini Bangladeshes. The government has gone down on its knees following a single tweet from the Kerala government.”

He further said: “How did information about the eviction drive at Kogilu Layout reach Pakistan? Did the information leak from a Pakistani sleeper cell operating here? While lakhs of poor people in our state, including Scheduled Castes and backward community families, are waiting after applying for houses and sites, the Congress government — which should have supported them — has chosen to appease Muslims from other states.

“Instead of taking strict action against migrants who had illegally encroached upon Karnataka’s land, this anti-national Congress government has bowed to the diktats of the high command,” Ashoka stated.

–IANS

mka/pgh