Bengaluru, Feb 23 (IANS) Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Monday said the Congress-led government has been targeting the Banjara community in the state ever since it came to power.
He said this while reacting to the arrest of BJP MLA Chandru Lamani, who belongs to the community.
Vijayendra claimed that the Congress government was unable to tolerate the fact that the Banjara community had stood firmly with the BJP. He further alleged that since Siddaramaiah became Chief Minister, the community has faced injustice and neglect.
Referring to a recent incident, he said that when the Deputy Chief Minister attended a Banjara community event, some youths from the community staged a protest and gheraoed him. Instead of addressing their concerns, the Deputy Chief Minister allegedly left the venue and filed an FIR against the protesting youths.
Vijayendra claimed that the Congress party has since been targeting the community and that MLA Chandru Lamani would face the legal process in court.
He also stated that several audio clips have already been leaked and that their authenticity needs to be established.
It can be recalled that BJP legislator Chandru Lamani, who represents the Shirahatti constituency, was taken into custody by the Karnataka Lokayukta last Saturday in connection with an alleged bribery case in Laxmeshwar town of Gadag district and later remanded to judicial custody.
The Lokayukta team reportedly caught the MLA while he was allegedly accepting Rs 5 lakh from a contractor as part of a larger bribe demand. His government personal assistant, Manjunath Valmiki, and private assistant, Guru Lamani, were also detained and questioned during the operation.
According to Lokayukta, Lamani had allegedly demanded Rs 11 lakh from a Class I contractor, identified as Vijay Poojar, in connection with the allotment of a contract under the Minor Irrigation Department. The bribe was reportedly linked to the construction work at a roadside retaining wall.
Speaking about the Budget Session scheduled to begin in the first week of March, Vijayendra said discussions are underway within the party regarding the upcoming session.
Vijayendra said he and Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka would discuss how to conduct themselves in the House. He said that after preliminary discussions, they would consult senior party leaders and take a final decision on the party’s strategy.
Questioning Minister Priyank Kharge’s remarks on corruption, Vijayendra asked whether he had the moral authority to speak about alleged corruption involving the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister.
The state BJP chief alleged that scams such as the Valmiki Corporation scam and the MUDA scam took place soon after the government came to power. He questioned whether funds from the Valmiki Corporation were used for elections.
Comparing the situation to “the devil quoting scripture”, he said Congress had no moral ground to lecture others on corruption. He added that corruption should not be given a caste colour and called for a proper investigation to bring out the truth.
On the issue of the Chief Minister allegedly playing the caste card and claiming that he is being targeted as he hails from a backward Shepard community, Vijayendra remarked that Siddaramaiah does not have anger towards the BJP but is instead facing resentment within his own party.
He also appealed to the Chief Minister, stating that while it was a matter of happiness that a person from a shepherd community had become Chief Minister, funds should at least be released to backward class development corporations in the upcoming Budget. He said the BJP would strongly press this demand.
–IANS
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