"Congress has only given khatakhat jhoot and loot model," BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla slams Karnataka govt over alleged housing scam
New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shehzad Poonawalla launched a scathing attack on the Congress party on Saturday, saying that while leading the Karnataka government the party has only given the state a 'khatakhat jhoot and loot model,' alleging that the state government is giving off houses meant to be for poor people through bribes.
'The Congress party has only given a khatakhat jhoot & loot model in Karnataka. First, they gave false guarantees, came to power, and now they are looting with both hands -- be it the MUDA Scam, Valmiki Scam, Liquor Scam, Rice Procurement Scam, or land scams of all kinds. Now there's a housing scam, where houses belonging to the poorest of the poor are being sold off for massive bribes,' Poonawalla told ANI in Delhi.
Questioning the state government, the BJP leader asked whether a CBI or independent judicial probe would be carried out as the matter first became public knowledge through a Congress MLA.
'Now the question is -- will any action be taken against the said minister? Will there be a CBI or an independent judicial probe in this matter? Because the allegation hasn't come from the BJP or any activist -- it has been made by a Congress MLA,' he said.
Poonawalla was referencing an alleged leaked audio of Congress MLA BR Patil, in which the party leader is purportedly heard accusing officials of taking bribes for allotting houses.
Yesterday, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah defended the decision by his government to increase reservation quota by 10-15 per cent in various housing schemes, saying that the decision was in line with the central government's guidelines based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's program for the welfare of minorities.
He said the program directs all implementing agencies to earmark '15 per cent of physical and financial targets for minorities wherever possible.'
Reacting to criticism that the state government's decision was 'unconstitutional or appeasement,' the Karnataka CM asked why the guidelines issued by the centre were being implemented under government schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
'This guideline is issued by the BJP-led Union Government and has been in force for years. If this was unconstitutional or appeasement, why did the Union Government ask all states to follow it? Why is it being implemented under Central schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana?' he asked.
Siddaramaiah further said that the state government's decision doesn't grant 'blanket enhancement' of quota across Karnataka but addresses a specific implementation challenge to ensure optimal use of allocated targets. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Iran TRAINS Advanced Missiles At Israel, Humiliates ‘Fake News' On Arsenal Stockpile
Indus Water War Heats Up: Now Omar Abdullah Refuses To Divert Water To Punjab, Congress Hits Back A fresh water dispute has erupted between Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab, just weeks after Punjab's clash with Haryana. This time, it's over the proposed 113 km canal to divert surplus Indus water from J&K to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan to prevent it from flowing to Pakistan. J&K CM Omar Abdullah has rejected the idea, saying Jammu itself faces water scarcity. 'Why should I send water to Punjab?' he asked, reminding that Punjab already has three rivers under the Indus Waters Treaty. He also invoked the decades-old Shahpur Kandi barrage dispute, insisting J&K won't give up more water. Reacting sharply, Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa accused Abdullah of undermining Punjab's sacrifice and patriotism, pointing to Punjab's suffering during Operation Sindoor, saying 'Pakistan attacked Punjab more than Jammu & Kashmir.' The conflict exposes deeper fault lines in India's federal water-sharing model, raising questions of equity, national interest, and regional politics — especially with Pakistan watching closely as India attempts to control its Indus water allocations.#waterdispute #punjabvsjk #induswaters #shahpurkandi #operationsindoor #omarabdullah #sukhjinderrandhawa #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews 6.0K views | 5 hours ago
The Hindu
23 minutes ago
- The Hindu
‘Youth from families who benefited from land reforms, welfare schemes are now swayed by Hindutva politics'
Youth belonging to second and third generation of families that benefited from the land reforms of the 1970s and other welfare schemes now embracing Hindutva ideology is among the factors responsible for the religious polarisation of communities in the coastal region, especially in Dakshina Kannada, according a legislator who was part of the KPCC's fact-finding committee that toured the region and looked into this issue. To counter Hindutva politics, Muslim youth too have been polarising the community on religious identity and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has been sowing seeds of 'communal politics' by raising funds, actively mobilising and organising the youth, the legislator said. Interim report The KPCC committee, which visited Dakshina Kannada district and met people from all walks of life — from politicians to ordinary citizens — submitted its interim report to party State president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday. The legislator told The Hindu that a large section of the backward classes families in the district benefited from the land reforms introduced by the Congress government led by the late D. Devaraj Urs. The next generations of these families, both educated and uneducated, are 'intoxicated by the Hindutva ideology', he said. Hindutva groups have consolidated power by waging hate campaigns against minorities citing what they call historical incidents, the legislator said. 'Soft attitude' A 'soft attitude' towards Hindutva activists by government officials and the police force and the absence of credible Congress leadership in the region has given rise to communal tendencies, he said. 'The Muslims are asking us what have you (Congress) given to us and we are surprised,' the leader said. The BJP won seven of the eight Assembly constituencies in Dakshina Kannada district in the 2023 elections. The BJP also won the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha seats. Noting a strong presence of religious-based identities among the people, the member said, 'It is difficult to find any prevalence of the secular ideas in the region.' Ways of mobilising Besides increased religious events these days among Hindu and Muslim communities, the member said Hindus have been mobilised and organised through temple renovation programmes, bhajana mandali events and holding functions such as seminars and talks by inviting well-known Hindutva leaders. The BJP leaders have indulged in 'negative' politics to counter the 'positive' developments raised by the Congress, the leader claimed. Mangaluru and the regions surrounding it have witnessed three back-to-back murders: the mob lynching of 38-year-old Ashraf from Kerala, the hacking to death of 30-year-old double murder accused Suhas Shetty, and the killing of 32-year-old Abdul Rahiman, general secretary of a local masjid committee. All these deaths ignited communal passions in the region. Following these crimes, the State government has set up a special action force in the sensitive districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Shivamogga.
Hans India
33 minutes ago
- Hans India
BJP-JD(U) ruined Bihar's economy and social fabric in last 20 years: Congress
Patna: Congress on Saturday slammed the BJP-JD(U) alliance in Bihar over 'ruining' the state's economy and social fabric in the last 20 years of their rule. 'The BJP-JD(U) alliance has ruined Bihar's economy, governance, and social fabric during their 20-year rule. This has been clearly proven by the reports of the reputed global institutions. That's why we've launched a campaign to expose how Bihar has suffered under Nitish Kumar's leadership,' said Congress spokesperson Prem Chand Mishra while addressing a press conference in Patna. As part of the campaign, Mishra cited a recent report by CARE Ratings, a global agency, which ranked Bihar last among 17 large Indian states on key development indicators. 'Bihar received just 34.8 points in the Social and Economic Development Index, scoring the lowest across parameters such as education, health, infrastructure, fiscal management, and economic activity,' Mishra said. Based on the CARE Ratings Report, Mishra pointed out that Bihar ranks 17th out of 17 major states on social and economic development. He said that poor performance in education quality, maternal and infant mortality rates, employment generation, weak scores on women empowerment, infrastructure, per capita income, alarming fiscal indicators, including debt management, interest payment ratio, fiscal deficit, severe deficiencies in electricity access, railway density, healthcare services, and school teacher ratios. He also said that the weak judicial efficiency, e-governance, investment environment, and environmental metrics are also poor, including air quality and renewable energy adoption. 'Bihar is now behind even Rajasthan, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh — states it once competed with. The figures speak for themselves, and corruption and poor governance are to blame,' Mishra said. He alleged that the government's much-publicised development narrative is hollow and lacks substance on the ground. Mishra added that even the Union government data contradicts the NDA's claims of progress. 'Bihar is in deep crisis, socially, economically, and administratively. The only way out is a change in government and a policy revolution,' he concluded. This marks a major strategic move by the Congress to build a data-backed campaign against the NDA ahead of the Assembly elections. With just four months to go, the party appears poised to corner the ruling alliance on its development record, particularly using central and global institutional reports as ammunition.
