SC/ST funds for Cong guarantees: BJP threatens state-wide stir if funds not restored to where it belongs

Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday threatened to launch a state-wide agitation if the Congress regime does not restore the funds meant for the SC/ST welfare diverted from the special component plan/ tribal sub plan (SCP/TSP) for implementation of the five Congress guarantees.

The BJP’s threats came a day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah issued a detailed statement insisting that the funds allocated under the SCP/TSP heads for the five guarantee programmes will be used exclusively for the community members.

The government has allocated Rs 11, 144 crore, dipping into the SCP/TSP budget head for the five programmes, exercising its powers under section 7D of the “SC Sub-allocation & Tribal Sub-Allocation Act, 2013, which allows such diversion. According to a note from the CM’s office, the government has allocated Rs 5075 crore for Gruha Lakshmi, Rs 2779 crore for Anna Bhagya, Rs 2410 crore for Gruha Jyothi, Rs 812 crore for Shakti and Rs 67.50 crore for Yuvanidhi programmes from the SCP/TSP funds.


The guarantee schemes, on which the Congress rode to power in Karnataka, have come under intense attack from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said in Pune on Tuesday that they are eating away funds otherwise spent on development programmes.

After participating in a protest organised by the State BJP SC Morcha against what it called diversion of funds meant for SC/ST welfare for the Congress schemes, Bommai accused the CM and his team of ministers of initiating such diversion without informing the SC/ST community members. A group of BJP MPs led by State BJP President Nalinkumar Kateel also held a protest at Sansad Bhavan in Delhi.

The former CM sought to know from Siddaramaiah how would his government identify SC/ST beneficiaries from among those availing benefits under the Shakti or Gruha Lakshmi programmes.

The BJP leader alleged that the CM had, in his recent budget, diverted the funds the BJP regime had allocated for building hostels for SC/ST students. The government could have, on priority, scrapped Section 7 (D) of the SCP/TSP law that allowed diversion of funds from the SC/ST welfare activities. Instead, the government focussed more on amending the anti-conversion and cow slaughter (prevention) laws, Bommai said.