BJP accuses Karnataka govt of 'misusing' SC/ST sub plan funds

Bengaluru, Mar 13 (PTI) The opposition BJP on Friday charged the Karnataka government with "misusing and diverting" the funds earmarked for Scheduled Caste Sub Plan and Tribal Sub Plan (SCSP/TSP).

The party also accused the government of "neglecting" other minority communities to favour Muslims for political gain.

During the discussion on budget in the Assembly, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka claimed that the government was using the SCSP/TSP funds for the five pre-poll guarantees, which he termed as "unjust".

"The government should have used the general fund for the guarantees and not the SCSP/TSP funds. The government has diluted the very objective by using the SCSP/TSP fund." Ashoka added that some ministers have argued that a large section of beneficiaries of these five guarantees are scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

The BJP leader further alleged that the SCSP/TSP funds were diverted for purposes not related to improving the livelihood of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

“The money was spent on advertisements to promote tourism. How is that going to improve the lives of SC/ST? The money was used for constructing buildings of universities, colleges, schools and Anganwadis, for Project Tiger and improving the elephant habitat.” “By using the funds for SC/ST you are widening the inequality between communities,” he alleged.

Referring to provisions for Muslims in the budget, he said, “I don’t understand your love for the minorities. You have made provisions for four per cent reservation in contracts for Muslims. We don’t have provisions for religion-based reservations in Ambedkar’s Constitution. Reservation can be given on the basis of caste and not on religion.” Ashoka told the Assembly that the Minority Welfare and Waqf Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Hassansaheb M T has written to the minority welfare department to increase the reservation for the Muslims placed under the 2B category of Other Backward Castes (OBC) from four per cent to 10 per cent.

“If you start appeasing a community only for votes, what will happen to people from other communities? Our Constitution says no such thing should ever be done,” the BJP said. PTI GMS GMS ROH