Should CM Siddaramaiah Halt Actions Against Dalits?

Bengaluru, June 30 (NationPress) The Karnataka BJP has urgently called for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to halt the ongoing actions by the government against Dalits in the Kadugodi area of Bengaluru.

The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, has accused the CM Siddaramaiah-led government, under Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, of attempting to "strangle the livelihoods" of Dalits.

During a protest near the Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha, Narayanaswamy stated that the Forest Department is trying to seize valuable agricultural land cultivated by Dalits in Dinnoor village of the Mahadevapura constituency in Bengaluru Urban district.

He accused Minister Khandre of orchestrating this operation, labeling it as an act of economic strangulation targeting Dalits.

According to him, instead of fulfilling their responsibilities, the Forest Department is focused on confiscating precious land.

After several unsuccessful attempts to meet with the Chief Minister, the Karnataka BJP submitted a memorandum to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and delivered a petition to the Chief Minister's Secretary.

LoP Narayanaswamy highlighted that there are 711 acres in Dinnoor, of which 278 acres have been allocated to the Railways, approximately 3 acres to a temple, 13 acres for roads, 13 guntas for an Indira Canteen, 20 acres for housing in Dinnoor Colony, 2.5 acres for a crematorium, 32 acres for layout development, and 4.5 acres for a police station.

Of the total, 125 acres are under cultivation, and 45 acres have been designated for the Metro project.

He stated that the government granted the land to farmers as early as 1950, and they have been engaged in agriculture on that land since.

He called for an end to the attacks on Dalits and condemned the arrests and intimidation tactics employed by the police.

BJP leader Narayanaswamy noted that a stay order is in effect against the eviction, yet attempts continue, which he deemed unacceptable.

While acknowledging that the issue is currently under judicial review, he criticized the state government for claiming it is merely executing a "task" assigned to them, describing such statements as absurd.

He further mentioned that the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) had acquired land from farmers in 1982 and compensated them accordingly.

Former BJP MP S. Muniswamy, who also spoke at the protest, accused the Congress-led state government of targeting Dalit farmers through evictions.

He claimed that violence, false allegations, and harassment are being inflicted on the community, which he finds unacceptable.

He questioned whether only Dalit farmers are subject to the law, asking, "If all that land belongs to the Forest Department, why hasn't the government cleared the lands given to the Railways? Why hasn't the KIADB's land been reclaimed? Why are Metro, police station, and other allocations untouched?"

Among the protesters were Legislative Council Chief Whip N. Ravikumar, MLC Keshav Prasad, MLA Cement Manjunath, former MP S. Muniswamy, and former MLAs Y. Sampangi, Y. Ramakka, S. Balaraju, among other leaders.

Previously, a Karnataka BJP delegation led by Opposition leader Narayanaswamy met Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and submitted a memorandum concerning the eviction of residents from the Kadugodi area in Bengaluru.

BJP leader Narayanaswamy expressed shame and regret over the eviction of farmers and local residents, who have lived and cultivated land in the Kadugodi locality for decades.

He emphasized that evicting the most vulnerable and impoverished individuals—who rely on the land for survival—without prior notice or rehabilitation measures is unacceptable.

He urged a thorough examination of the issue in accordance with the Supreme Court's directives and existing government provisions, advocating for appropriate actions.

"I appeal that until the government announces a decision to protect these individuals, the eviction process should be halted," he stated.

"Survey Number 1 in Kadugodi consists of 711 acres of land, including 35 acres of agricultural land cultivated by members of the Scheduled Caste community. The farmers have been farming this land since 1950 and possess government documentation proving their ownership," he added.