Demolition drive in Karnataka puts Congress govt in a fix

A demolition drive in Bengaluru has snowballed into a political controversy for the Congress government in Karnataka, drawing criticism from both within and outside the party and triggering a wider debate across states.

The state government launched the demolition exercise in December in the Kogilu area of Bengaluru, where houses belonging to more than 200 Muslim families were razed. The move drew a sharp reaction from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who, on December 26, posted on X that the Congress was "normalising bulldozer raj" and accused the party of pursuing Sangh Parivar-style anti-minority politics in Karnataka.

With elections due in Kerala in a few months, the Congress high command also sensed potential political blowback. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal publicly conveyed displeasure over the Siddaramaiah government's action.


Facing heat from both directions, the Karnataka government announced compensation and assured that houses would be built for those displaced. The BJP then stepped up its attack, with state party president B Y Vijayendra accusing the government of making a U-turn under pressure and indulging in "appeasement politics". He alleged that decisions were being dictated from outside Karnataka, and the BJP plans to launch an agitation on the issue.

Caught between criticism over the demolitions and backlash over reversing its stand, the Siddaramaiah government continues to face fire over the handling of the episode.