Bengaluru, Oct 31 (NationPress) Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Shobha Karandlaje, on Friday called on the Karnataka government to place women's safety as its foremost concern, stating, “Make anyone the Chief Minister you want, but ensure women’s protection is your top priority.”

At a press conference held at the BJP State Office “Jagannath Bhavan” in Bengaluru, she remarked, “I am unclear about what the Home Minister is doing or if ministers are conducting district-level review meetings as they should. The Home Minister ought to meet with SPs and police officials across various districts to assess the law-and-order situation. However, once he leaves Bengaluru, it feels as if he has entered another state entirely, like Tumakuru,” she quipped.

While criticizing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karandlaje stated, “The Chief Minister travels by helicopter for foundation-laying ceremonies yet seems oblivious to the realities on the ground. Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar appears fixated solely on Bengaluru and Vidhana Soudha. His ambition to ascend to the role of Chief Minister seems to overshadow any other concerns.”

She voiced her worries about the rising crimes against women — including rape and murder of women and minors — which continue unabated in Karnataka.

Karandlaje alleged that the government seems more focused on altering police caps than on enhancing their effectiveness. “No police officer receives a transfer without paying a bribe. Each police station has a specific rate for transfers. Transfers only occur when money changes hands,” she asserted.

“In my constituency, police officers face transfers every six to ten months. Why is this happening? Because once a bribe is paid, its benefit is temporary. After that, more money is needed to stay in position, or else they will be replaced by someone who pays more. This money-transfer racket has eroded officers' self-confidence,” she explained.

She lamented that money has overshadowed duty. “In the past two years, over 1,800 cases of rape, gang rape, and assault on women have been reported in Karnataka. In the Chief Minister’s own district, a girl selling balloons was raped and murdered. A college girl named Neha Hiremath was killed in Hubballi. When the government had just assumed power and the Assembly session was ongoing in Belagavi, a woman was stripped and assaulted right in the city,” she recounted.

“In Bengaluru, lecturers are raping guest lecturers. A lecturer from Moodabidri brought a student to Bengaluru and raped her. Fathers are raping their own daughters. Migrant children from Bihar and Odisha are being abducted and assaulted. How have people become so emboldened to commit such heinous acts in Karnataka and Bengaluru? It’s because this government is ineffective,” Karandlaje stated emphatically.

She continued, “They are preoccupied with power struggles over who should occupy the CM chair, who should be a minister, who should become Deputy CM, while innocent lives are at stake.”

“In the last two and a half years, more than 20 officials have taken their own lives. Six individuals involved in the caste survey have died due to pressure. Over 15 contractors have also committed suicide. For the first time in Karnataka’s history, contractors have reached out to the Governor seeking permission for mercy killing. Yet, this government continues to talk about guarantees. Who will guarantee the safety of women?” she questioned.

“We are indifferent to who becomes Chief Minister or whether there is a cabinet reshuffle. What truly matters is that our women and girls are safe,” she urged.

“Has this government lost its sensitivity? Is it blind and deaf to the events around it? It must awaken and take action to prevent further suicides and murders,” she demanded.

MLC Bharathi Shetty and Hemalatha Nayak were also present at the press conference.