BENGALURU: Siddaramaiah government came under attack from the BJP as being casteist in formulating welfare schemes. Expressing concern at the caste and religion-based discrimination in administration, leader of the Opposition in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar on Monday enlivened the proceedings by narrating the tale of ‘Jalebi files’ in the Siddaramaiah regime.
“The files in the Siddaramaiah government are being cleared depending on whether they are ‘Jalebi” or ‘non-Jalebi’ category,” Shettar said participating in a debate on the state budget.
“Jalebi” (Kannada acronym for Gowdas, Lingayats and Brahmins) files, according to Shettar are put on hold, as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been clearing files belonging to only non-Jalebi (other Backward castes, SCs, STs and minorities) category.
P M Narendraswamy of the Congress asked him to substantiate the charges.
Accepting the challenge, Shettar cited the Budget proposal on increasing honorarium of moulvis and pesh imams of mosques, while ignoring a similar demand from archaks of temples. “The Siddaramaiah government has discriminated Hindu priests in giving honorarium. Honorarium to pesh imams has been increased from Rs 3,100 to Rs 4,000 per month while honorarium of muezzins has been increased from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per month,” he said.
Priests of nearly 40,000 Muzrai temples in the state have been paid a meager Rs 3,000 per month of which Rs 2,00 is being spent on purchasing oil for lighting lamps in temples, Shettar said.