Bengaluru, March 4 (IANS) The Karnataka unit of the BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress government of diverting funds meant for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), and asked senior Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, to speak up on the issue.

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R. Ashoka on Wednesday alleged that the state government had systematically diverted funds allocated for SC/ST welfare over three consecutive budgets to finance its guarantee schemes.

He claimed it was a “calculated, year-on-year loot” of resources meant for Dalit and tribal communities.

According to Ashoka, out of the Rs 42,018 crore officially allotted under the SCSP and TSP, nearly Rs 35,000 crore had been diverted towards implementing guarantee schemes, leaving only about Rs 7,000 crore for targeted development programmes.

He claimed that nearly Rs 39,000 crore meant for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had been misused.

He alleged that the funds, which are legally mandated for education, health and empowerment initiatives for SC/ST communities, were being treated as a “personal piggy bank” to address what he described as the Chief Minister’s fiscal mismanagement.

Ashoka also took aim at Rahul Gandhi, stating that while he raises slogans such as “Jitna Abadi, Utna Haq” at the national level, he has remained silent on what the BJP leader described as a “historic injustice” in Karnataka, the only major state currently ruled by the Congress.

He questioned whether the diversion of funds aligned with the Congress party’s stated commitment to equity and social justice.

The Opposition leader further accused the Congress government of repeatedly targeting SC/ST allocations to sustain its “freebie politics,” calling it a direct assault on the legal rights of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Warning of protests, Ashoka said more than 70 organisations were prepared to oppose what he termed “institutionalised injustice.” He demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah make a clear commitment in the upcoming Budget to stop any alleged diversion of SCSP and TSP funds.

–IANS

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