Karnataka BJP dropped a bombshell on Wednesday, accusing the Congress regime of diverting a staggering ₹35,000 crore from SC/ST sub-plans to its guarantee programs. Leader of Opposition R Ashok urged Rahul Gandhi to break his silence on what he called a monumental betrayal of Dalit and Adivasi communities.
Breaking down the numbers, Ashok stated that from the ₹42,018 crore allocated under SCSP and TSP, the bulk was rerouted across three budgets. Only ₹7,000 crore remains for intended purposes, with ₹39,000 crore allegedly misused in a bid to sustain costly electoral promises.
‘What we’re witnessing is organized theft, year after year, robbing the marginalized of their rightful share,’ Ashok declared. He accused the government of using these protected funds as a ‘private slush fund’ to mask poor financial planning in health, education, and empowerment schemes.
The attack on Rahul Gandhi was pointed: a leader preaching ‘rights by population share’ at the national level ignores this ‘historic wrong’ in his party’s stronghold. Ashok questioned the compatibility of such actions with Congress’s social justice manifesto.
Fueling the fire, Ashok highlighted the Congress’s addiction to ‘freebies’ at the expense of SC/ST entitlements, violating legal mandates. With over 70 organizations ready to hit the streets, he called on CM Siddaramaiah to pledge no diversions in the forthcoming budget.
The standoff signals intensifying political warfare in Karnataka, where fund accountability has become a flashpoint for BJP’s aggressive outreach to key voter blocs.