Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (TP)

Udupi, Feb 28: BJP MLC N Ravikumar has accused the Siddaramaiah-led state government of acting against the interests of the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), claiming the government is misusing funds allocated for their welfare. His comments came during a protest held at the Deputy Commissioner's office in Manipal on Friday, February 28.

Ravikumar stated, "In 2023, the state government allocated Rs 11,000 crore from the SC/ST fund for the guarantee scheme. This year, out of Rs 39,000 crore in grants, Rs 14,000 crore has been diverted to the guarantee scheme, bringing the total to Rs 25,000 crore for this purpose. The government has never diverted funds meant for minorities or Muslims; those funds were specifically used for them. So why can't the grants reserved for SC/ST welfare be used for their intended purpose? This government is also going against the principles of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. They plan to use approximately Rs 15,000 crore for the guarantee scheme. Without the welfare of backward castes, there can be no true national welfare. Only 22% of the grants from the ST fund and 41% from the SC fund have been used for the welfare of the respective communities. The Congress party must be taught a lesson in the upcoming Taluk and Zilla panchayat elections. Even during the COVID pandemic, we refrained from using SC/ST grants, but this government has misused these funds for political gains."

MP Ramesh Jigajigani added, "The SEPT amount was specifically meant for the welfare of SC and ST communities. The Congress Dalit leaders are remaining silent. When a similar issue arose during my tenure as Minister of Social Welfare, I addressed it carefully. As leaders of the Congress party, why aren't Kharge and Mahadevappa speaking out against these actions? Since no one is raising their voice, the government continues with these actions. I want to make it clear that if this continues, we will gather all Dalits and protest against it."

MP Kota Srinivas Poojary also voiced concerns, stating, "Karnataka has about 1.7 crore Scheduled Caste individuals and approximately 45 lacs of Scheduled Tribe people. The state government is misusing the grants reserved for SC and ST communities. We demand that these grants be strictly used for the welfare of SC/ST people and not diverted for other purposes. I raised this issue in Parliament, stating that the government had promised to fund the guarantee scheme from its own resources, not from SC/ST funds. Except for CM Siddaramaiah, all other ministers supported my statement. The funds were intended for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, to make them landowners, and using them for the guarantee scheme is completely unacceptable."

After the protest, a memorandum was submitted to Deputy Commissioner Dr K Vidya Kumari.

Present during the protest were BJP Udupi District president Kishore Kumar Kundapur,a Mangaluru Division In-charge K. Udayakumar Shetty, MP Kota Srinivas Poojary, SC Morcha State vice presidents Sabu Dodmani, Gopal Ghat Kamble, Dinakar Babu, immediate past District president Kuiladi Suresh Nayak, MLAs Yashpal Suvarna, Kiran Kumar Kodgi, former MLA Harshvardhan, BJP District general secretary Dinakar Shetty Herga, Udupi Municipal Council president Prabhakar Poojary, and several other party leaders, district office bearers, and committee members.