Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti State convener Venkatagiriyaiah has alleged that the State government had diverted benefits meant for the Dalit community to other castes.
Of the Rs.16,000 crore earmarked for the communities from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes , as much as Rs. 6,000 crore had been diverted to upper castes, he said, after inaugurating a State-level two-day study camp organised by the Samiti at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Bhavan here on Sunday.
Mr. Ventatagiriyaiah said the funds meant for Dalits had not been utilised properly. While Rs. 6,000 crore had been diverted to other castes, only Rs. 4,000 crore of the remaining amount had been utilised for the needs of Dalits. “Chief Minister Siddaramiah keeps calling himself ‘a champion of Dalits’ causes’. However, he has been forcing Dalit leaders to retire from active politics,” he criticised. He also took the government to task for not granting land to the bagair-hukum cultivators.
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Commenting on the Narendra Modi-led Union government, Venkatagiriyaiah said the Prime Minister was in the control of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders. “The RSS activists are engaged in spreading violence in the country,” he contended.