The BJP in Karnataka, after winning in other states, is making noise once more. They’re talking about things in a meeting in Belagavi, a place where they have a lot of supporters.
The Karnataka Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, said he wants to increase money for the welfare of Muslims in the state. He mentioned raising it from Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore in the coming years. But, he didn’t say when exactly. The BJP didn’t like this. They called it “appeasement” and protested during a meeting at the Assembly.
Led by R Ashoka, the new Opposition Leader, the BJP accused Siddaramaiah of breaking rules by making big announcements when the Assembly was in session. They said, “Why promise so much money for minorities when there are other issues like farmers’ problems?”
The Congress replied saying, “Hey, Siddaramaiah didn’t say he’s giving the money right away. It’s more like a future plan.”
Increasing funds for minority welfare is a big deal for the Congress because they have a good connection with Muslim voters, who make up about 9% of Karnataka’s population. Siddaramaiah himself is part of a community called Kurubas, and they also support the Congress.
The BJP says this is Siddaramaiah’s way of showing strength to the Congress leaders, saying, “Don’t mess with me, I have support.”
Also, they accused Siddaramaiah of being with people linked to ISIS at an event. But Siddaramaiah showed pictures where those people were with PM Modi in the past. He called it a political move to create hate.
Before this meeting, the BJP’s new leader, B Y Vijayendra, said a Congress minister, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, talked about making a Muslim the Speaker of the Assembly. The BJP got mad and said they won’t let Khan into the Assembly, but later they didn’t act on that.
The Congress didn’t bring up their issue with a portrait of Veer Savarkar in the Assembly, which they opposed earlier. They’ve been quiet about it, saying they have no plans to remove it now.
So, there’s a lot of back-and-forth happening between the BJP and the Congress in Karnataka, especially during this meeting in Belagavi.
