Drug menace rampant in Karnataka, alleges BJP

Bengaluru, Dec 24 The Karnataka BJP on Wednesday alleged that the drug menace is rampant in the state and accused the Congress government of failing to curb organised crime and lawlessness.

Addressing a press conference, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka claimed that drug mafias were operating openly in Karnataka, forcing police teams from other states to come and make arrests.

“When I raise the issue of drugs, the Home Minister talks about what is happening elsewhere in the country. The police department itself is caught up in a transfer racket,” he alleged.

Ashoka claimed that criminal activities had increased since the Congress came to power and accused the government of misusing legislation brought in to curb hate speech.

“In the name of preventing hate speech, a law has been introduced that curtails freedom of expression. Congress imposed the Emergency in the past, and now this law is aimed at jailing opposition leaders and targeting the media,” he said.

Stating that the BJP would oppose the move, Ashoka said the party would appeal to the Governor not to give assent to the Bill once it is forwarded.

The BJP leader also launched a broad attack on the government’s handling of wildlife conservation, claiming that more than 206 elephants had died during the Congress regime. He alleged that 61 leopards, 19 peacocks and several deer under the Forest Department’s custody had died, and claimed that illegal wildlife trade was thriving.

“Instead of addressing these issues, the government has cancelled safaris. No other state has done this. Wildlife conflicts are not caused by safaris. Around 6,000 people working in jungle resorts have been affected, tourism has declined, and farmers and local residents are suffering losses,” Ashoka said.

Referring to the recently concluded Assembly session, Ashoka said discussions were held on issues related to North Karnataka but accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of making no fresh announcements for the region. He alleged delays in the disbursal of funds under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, claiming that 1.26 crore women had been affected.

“The government has not explained why payments for February and March were delayed. This is a major scam. We will continue our agitation until the women receive their money,” he said, also alleging that there was no opportunity to raise issues such as misuse of Dalit funds, ration card cancellations and human-wildlife conflict.

Ashoka further alleged that the Congress was riddled with internal divisions, claiming there was confusion over leadership in the state. “Even Congress leaders have publicly admitted failures within the government. Due to this infighting, development work has been hampered,” he charged.

Accusing the state government of failing to effectively coordinate with the Centre, Ashoka claimed that central schemes were not being implemented properly and that funds were withheld due to procedural lapses.

“They have not even sent a delegation to the Union government. They only issue statements,” he said.

Citing the recent town panchayat elections, Ashoka claimed that the BJP’s performance reflected public discontent against what he described as the Congress government’s misrule.

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