Bengaluru, March 3 – The Karnataka BJP accused the state government on Tuesday of diverting funds intended for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under the Special Component Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) for other purposes, calling it a "betrayal" of Dalits.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, claimed that the government had used ₹39,000 crore from SCP and TSP allocations over the past three years for purposes other than those intended.
He said that more than 60 Dalit organizations 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 that the programs required around ₹52,000 crore annually.
“After earmarking ₹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 ₹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, ₹21,000 crore is distributed among them, and of the remaining ₹21,000 crore, about ₹14,000 crore is being used for guarantee schemes. This, he claimed, leaves only around ₹7,000 crore effectively available for the targeted communities.
“If only ₹7,000 crore reaches them, why claim an allocation of ₹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.
