Karnataka BJP: Congress plans to drop 1.12 lakh women from Gruha Laxmi scheme
Synopsis
Karnataka's BJP has put the Congress government on the back foot over its Gruha Laxmi verification drive, alleging that over 1.12 lakh women stand to lose their ₹2,000 monthly benefit — the very promise that helped the party win the 2023 assembly election. With 1.48 lakh deceased beneficiaries reportedly still on the rolls, the government faces a credibility squeeze from both sides.
Key Takeaways
Ashoka accused the Karnataka Congress government of planning to remove 1,12,092 women across 17 districts from the Gruha Laxmi scheme.
The scheme provides ₹2,000 per month to women heads of households and was a key Congress pre-election guarantee.
The verification drive was triggered after monthly allowances were reportedly credited to 1.48 lakh deceased beneficiaries .
Shivakumar clarified the government has no plan to reduce overall beneficiary numbers and the drive targets misuse only.
Ashoka demanded an immediate halt to what he called an injustice and questioned the CM's reported unawareness of the issue.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, on Thursday, 11 June accused the state's Congress government of planning to remove more than 1.12 lakh women from the Gruha Laxmi guarantee scheme through an ongoing verification drive. Ashoka alleged that the move amounted to a betrayal of women who voted for the Congress on the basis of its pre-election promise of ₹2,000 per month to every woman head of a household.
What BJP Alleges
According to Ashoka, the government has identified 1,12,092 women across 17 districts as ineligible for the scheme. He claimed the Congress campaigned without attaching conditions to the benefit before the elections, but was now finding grounds to purge women from the beneficiary list after coming to power.
'Before the elections, it was Gruha Lakshmi; after the elections, it has become 'Ineligible Lakshmi'. This is the true face of the Congress guarantees,' Ashoka said. He further alleged that beneficiaries were being subjected to additional hardship through biometric verification procedures, describing the sequence as a deliberate pattern of promising benefits before polls and withdrawing them after.
Ashoka Questions Chief Minister's Awareness
The BJP leader also took aim at Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's reported response that he was unaware of the issue. 'If the Chief Minister says he does not know about a matter affecting the lives of 1.1 lakh women in the state, then who is running the government?' Ashoka questioned. He demanded that the government immediately halt what he described as an injustice and ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive financial assistance without confusion or disruption.
Background: Why the Verification Was Ordered
The Congress government in Karnataka ordered a re-verification of beneficiaries under the Gruha Laxmi scheme following the detection of alleged misuse. Monthly allowances of ₹2,000 were reportedly being credited to the accounts of 1.48 lakh deceased beneficiaries, prompting the state to review its rolls. The government has maintained that the exercise is aimed solely at preventing misuse and ensuring benefits reach eligible recipients.
Government's Position
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday clarified that the state government has no intention of reducing the overall number of beneficiaries under its guarantee schemes. He stated that the ongoing verification exercise is meant to ensure legitimate recipients are not displaced by fraudulent entries. The clarification came amid renewed debate over whether the government was preparing to scale back its flagship welfare commitments.
What's Next
The BJP's escalation signals that the Gruha Laxmi verification drive will remain a politically charged flashpoint ahead of any future electoral contest in Karnataka. With 1.12 lakh women potentially at risk of exclusion and the government yet to provide a district-wise breakdown of its findings, pressure on the Congress administration is likely to intensify in the coming weeks.
Point of View
000 a month is a genuine governance failure that the Congress cannot dismiss — but the BJP's framing of a deliberate purge sidesteps that inconvenient fact. What this episode really reveals is the absence of a robust, real-time beneficiary database in Karnataka's welfare architecture. Until that is fixed, every verification drive will double as a political liability, regardless of which party is in power.
NationPress
6 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Gruha Laxmi scheme in Karnataka?
The Gruha Laxmi scheme is a Karnataka government programme that provides ₹2,000 per month to women heads of households. It was a flagship pre-election guarantee of the Congress party ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.
Why is the Karnataka government conducting a verification drive under Gruha Laxmi?
The government ordered re-verification after it was found that monthly allowances were reportedly being credited to the accounts of 1.48 lakh deceased beneficiaries. Officials say the exercise is aimed solely at preventing misuse and ensuring benefits reach eligible recipients.
How many women could be removed from the Gruha Laxmi scheme?
According to BJP leader R. Ashoka, the government has identified 1,12,092 women across 17 districts as ineligible. The government has not confirmed this figure and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has stated there is no intention to reduce the overall beneficiary count.
What has Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said about the Gruha Laxmi verification?
Shivakumar clarified on Wednesday that the state government has no intention of reducing the number of beneficiaries under its guarantee schemes. He maintained that the verification is targeted only at fraudulent or ineligible entries, not at legitimate beneficiaries.
What is the BJP demanding from the Karnataka government?
BJP Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka has demanded that the government immediately halt what he described as an injustice and ensure that eligible women receive their ₹2,000 monthly benefit under the Gruha Laxmi scheme without confusion or disruption.
