Bengaluru, March 4 – The Karnataka unit of the BJP accused the Congress government of diverting funds meant for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) on Wednesday, and called on senior Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, to address the issue.
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R. Ashoka, alleged on Wednesday that the state government had systematically diverted funds allocated for SC/ST welfare over three consecutive budgets to finance its guarantee schemes.
He claimed that this was a "calculated, year-on-year theft" of resources meant for Dalit and tribal communities.
According to Ashoka, out of the officially allocated Rs 42,018 crore under the SCSP and TSP, nearly Rs 35,000 crore had been diverted towards implementing guarantee schemes, leaving only about Rs 7,000 crore for targeted development programmes.
He claimed that nearly Rs 39,000 crore meant for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had been misused.
He alleged that the funds, which are legally mandated for education, health, and empowerment initiatives for SC/ST communities, were being treated as a "personal piggy bank" to address what he described as the Chief Minister’s fiscal mismanagement.
Ashoka also criticized Rahul Gandhi, stating that while he raises slogans such as "Jitna Abadi, Utna Haq" at the national level, he has remained silent on what the BJP leader described as a "historic injustice" in Karnataka, the only major state currently ruled by the Congress.
He questioned whether the diversion of funds aligns with the Congress party’s stated commitment to equity and social justice.
The Opposition leader further accused the Congress government of repeatedly targeting SC/ST allocations to sustain its "freebie politics," calling it a direct assault on the legal rights of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Warning of protests, Ashoka said that more than 70 organisations were prepared to oppose what he termed "institutionalised injustice." He demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah make a clear commitment in the upcoming Budget to stop any alleged diversion of SCSP and TSP funds.