Congress high command asked Karnataka government to conduct a fresh caste census to make up for the damage to the image of the party in the Bengaluru stampede in which 11 persons died, Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, said in Mangaluru on June 12.
Speaking to press persons in the BJP’s district office, Ms. Karandlaje said that the stampede tarnished the image of the Congress-led State Government. “The Congress high command’s decision to opt for a re-enumeration of castes is to divert the attention from the stampede deaths,” the Union Minister said.
Ms. Karandlaje said that the decision is also aimed at dividing the castes further by breaking them into pieces at the deeper level.
The Union Minister alleged that the Congress, through caste census, wants to project that minorities are in large numbers in Karnataka. “It is to help them get reservation benefits. Those who are in majority in Karnataka should understand this design (to help the minorities) of the Congress,” she said.
The Union minister wondered how the fresh census can be conducted in just three months as being planned now.
CM not attending Niti Aayog meetings
To a question, Ms. Karandlaje said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has not attended any meeting of Niti Aayog. “If he (Mr. Siddaramaiah) is not attending any meeting, how can he put forth the development proposals of Karnataka?”
The Union Minister alleged that Mr. Siddaramaiah is only interested in ‘playing drama with the guarantee schemes of the State Government’.
Ms. Karandlaje alleged that Karnataka government is not handing over land for projects of railways, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and for Namma Metro projects in Bengaluru.
“In the federal structure, the State Government should hand over land for projects of the Union Government. The State should also send its development project proposals to the Union Government if Karnataka is to flourish. But the Congress government is not interested in both,” she alleged.
The Union Minister inaugurated a workshop for BJP workers organised on the occasion of Narendra Modi-led Union Government completing 11 years in administration.
Published – June 12, 2025 03:40 pm IST
