BJP to protest over pending Gruha Lakshmi funds

BJP leader R Ashoka on Wednesday said that the party would launch a protest against the non-disbursal of money under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme for the months of February and March this year.

He also said that the party would request Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot not to give his assent to the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, which was cleared by both the houses – Legislative Assembly and Council, during the recently concluded winter session in Belagavi.

Speaking to reporters here, the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, said there were high expectations that the Government would announce big schemes for the North Karnataka during the Belagavi session.

However, instead of announcing packages for North Karnataka, funds were curtailed, he said.

“Gruha Lakshmi scheme money to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore for the months of February and March could not be given to the beneficiaries. The Government had dodged it. The finance department had covered it up. Our question is whether there was no money in the previous fiscal and why the Government hid it,” Ashoka said.

The Gruha Lakshmi scheme is one of the five pre-poll guarantees of the state Government. It promises Rs 2,000 per month to the women heads of the families belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). Ashoka said if the Government had money, then it would have disbursed it. “We want to know whether the Government wanted to cheat people by not giving money or it did not have money,’ the BJP leader said. He added that the BJP waited for three days for Woman and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar to respond during the assembly session, as 1.26 crore families were anxiously waiting for the money.

“This is a big scam. Even today, the minister has not uttered a word on the Gruha Lakshmi money for the months of February and March. She has stopped coming to Bengaluru. Our question is whether that was part of the budget. If yes, then where has the money gone?” he sought to know.

Ashoka said, “The BJP will hold protests till the money is disbursed to the beneficiaries. We obtained details of eight to 10 districts. When we approached other districts, the ministers threatened the district authorities not to share details.”

Regarding the Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, he said it was passed in a hurry without any discussion in both the Houses. “This was an important bill because it takes away people’s freedom of expression. The Government, which brought the Emergency, taking away the personal liberties of people and jailing opposition members, journalists and judges, is once again resorting to the same attempt,” Ashoka alleged. He was apparently referring to the Emergency imposed by the Congress Government led by Indira Gandhi in 1975.

According to him, no one can draw cartoons or expose scams once the bill becomes a law. “There is nothing to feel good about this bill. People will not be able to air their woes on civic problems, rising crime and corruption. It is very clear that the Government is targeting the opposition in order to control it,” he alleged.

The BJP leader said the party will approach Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on his return from Madhya Pradesh and explain to him how this law is going to affect people and create problems for freedom of expression.

“We will persuade the Governor not to sign this bill. This is the Congress party’s law to put the opposition in jail. We will tell him that there is nothing in it to benefit society,” he added.