Bengaluru, Mar 3 Karnataka BJP on Tuesday accused the state government of diverting funds meant for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under the Special Component Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) for other purposes, terming it a “betrayal” of Dalits.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, claimed that the government had used Rs 39,000 crore from SCP and TSP allocations over the past three years for purposes other than those intended.
He said more than 60 Dalit organisations participated in the meeting and collectively condemned the alleged diversion of funds.
According to him, the representatives at the meeting unanimously felt that the government was deceiving the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities and called for a large-scale agitation against the administration.
Questioning the funding pattern of the state’s guarantee schemes, Narayanaswamy said the programmes required around Rs 52,000 crore annually.
“After earmarking Rs 52,000 crore in the Budget, why should SCP and TSP funds be drawn for the same purpose?” he asked.
He further questioned whether financial assistance extended to other communities was being sourced from their respective development corporations.
He asked if benefits given to Vokkaliga women were drawn from the Vokkaliga Development Corporation, whether allocations for Lingayats came from the Lingayat Development Corporation, and whether guarantees for Muslims were funded through the Minorities Development Corporation.
“When it comes to Scheduled Castes and Tribes, why are their earmarked funds being utilised?” he asked.
Narayanaswamy also alleged that while the government projects SCP and TSP allocations at Rs 42,000 crore, the actual amount directly benefiting SC and ST communities is significantly lower.
He said that out of the total allocation covering 34 departments, Rs 21,000 crore is distributed among them, and of the remaining Rs 21,000 crore, about Rs 14,000 crore is being used for guarantee schemes. This, he claimed, leaves only around Rs 7,000 crore effectively available for the targeted communities.
“If only Rs 7,000 crore reaches them, why claim an allocation of Rs 42,000 crore?” he questioned.
Former Union Minister A. Narayanaswamy, former Minister N. Mahesh, retired IAS officer Lakshminarayan, and several other leaders attended the meeting.
The allegations come ahead of the state Budget, with the Opposition intensifying its criticism of the government over welfare allocations and implementation of guarantee schemes.
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