Chief Minister has done nothing for Ahinda: Karjol

Former minister Govind Karjol said the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party’s efforts to point out its failures in the legislative session and also protests have become futile as the State government has turned shameless.

He was addressing a media conference here on Thursday ahead of an awareness convention for BJP workers about the failures of the Siddaramaiah government in safeguarding the interest of the Ahinda (Acronym for minorities, backward classes and dalits) who voted him to power.

Karjol said Siddaramaiah has done nothing for Ahinda in the last two-and-a-half years since he assumed power as chief minister. “He has either stopped the pro-people programmes introduced by the BJP or has failed in their implementation.
Atrocities on Dalits are on the rise after he became chief minister. Over 1,700 atrocity cases have been registered across the State and 58 dalits have been killed in the last two-and-a-half years. In Mysuru district alone, the chief minister’s home district, 60 cases have been booked and four dalits have been killed,” he said.

Pointing at the delay in the construction of Ambedkar Bhavan, for which the BJP government had alloted Rs 14 crore, Karjol said the government is not interested in inaugurating Babu Jagjivan Ram Bhavan and Valmiki Bhavan which are almost complete and the Kanaka Bhavan is yet to materialise.

“Even though all power of the State is concentrated in Mysuru district — with the chief minister himself, Revenue Minister V Srinivas Prasad and PWD Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa at the helm of affairs and two ministers belonging to the dalit communities — 25,000 applications by SC/ST farmers for regularisation of Bagair Hukum lands are pending,” Karjol claimed.

The previous BJP government had issued 20,000 houses for the economically backward classes in Mysuru city and 60,000 houses across the district.

But since Siddaramaiah became the chief minister, not even 10,000 houses have been given for his home district. “Under Gangakalyana 26,000 borewells have been dug for SC/ST farmers. But most of them are on paper and not many farmers have been benefitted. Not even a single new degree college has been started in the Sate. The Devaraj Urs hostels in taluk headquarters announced to mark the leader’s centenary celebrations, are yet to materialise,” he said.

“When the BJP was in power, power crisis haunted it also. While the need was 9,000 MW per day, 7,500 MW was generated. So, the government entered into MoUs with private players and bought power to bridge the gap. There would have been no crisis now, if the Congress government had continued the MoUs,” Karjol said.

The government claims that it has earmarked Rs 16,300 crore for dalits. But only Rs 3,000 crore has been spent and it is on maintenance of hostels and reimbursement of fees of students. There has been no further development of the communities, he added.