After State Congress president G Parameshwara, it is now the turn of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to appease minorities ahead of general elections in 2014. Siddaramaiah who announced a scheme to give Rs 50,000 in cash as a ‘wedding gift’ to poor Muslims girls has landed Congress Government in trouble.
The ‘Bidai (farewell) scheme’, is meant to help girls from families who earn Rs 1.5 lakh a year or less, at a cost of at least 10 crore to the Government has come under severe criticism.
The Opposition has accused the Government of blatant vote-bank politics and said the scheme must be extended to all poor families, not just one community.
The Karnataka Janata Party led by former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Thursday in Bangalore along with his party leaders sat on a dharna and demanded the Government to extend the scheme to all other communities. Yeddyurappa alleged that the Congress Government in the State has been creating disharmony among minority communities.
He said, “The State Government and the Chief Minister intentionally creating disharmony in the minority community. I am protesting because I want all sections to get justice and welfare.”
The BJP also quick to oppose the Government scheme announced only to Muslims women. S Prakash spokesperson came down heavily on the appeasement politics of the ruling Congress Government but also destroying the integrity of the society by appeasing a particular community.
He said “This is one more example of minority appeasement politics of the Congress. We protest this. We need this scheme to extend to all communities. “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said the money for the scheme, expected to roll out next year, would come from the budget for minority welfare programmes.
Yeddyurappa told The Pioneer that it was the extension of Congress vote bank politics and minority appeasement. He demanded that Siddaramaiah extend the scheme to all poor girls. The scheme provides for Rs 50,000 cash or necessary articles such as cots, almirahs, and utensils for a wedding in families whose annual income is less than Rs 1.5 lakh.