BENGALURU: The opposition BJP created a ruckus in the Assembly over allotment of funds for development of minority colonies. The party members alleged that the state government allotted funds to develop minority colonies only in constituencies represented by Congress MLAs and not to others.
Raising the issue during question hour, BJP MLA BY Vijayendra said the government has been discriminating even in minority welfare. “Money has been allotted to constituencies of Congress MLAs to develop minority colonies. Why was this not done for all?” he said and added that the government is keen on releasing funds for minorities, but not to farmers who are in distress due to drought.
In response, Minorities Welfare Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced an action plan of Rs 1,000 crore for the next three years for minorities. As part of this, around Rs 300 crore has been allotted. “The CM presented a budget of Rs 3.71 lakh crore, which is less than 1% for minorities,” he said. He also mentioned that minority colonies have been categorised based on population.
Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Yatnal objected to this. “My constituency has a population of 1.2 lakh. I have not got any fund,” he said.
Irked by this, Zameer pointed out that Yatnal had earlier stated that he will not get work done for burqa clad women. “Why should I give money when you won’t work for them? You will not spend on them,” he said. Following this, BJP members created a ruckus over Zameer’s statement.