KARNATAKA: Karnataka’s Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge alleged that the BJP government in Gujarat misused Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) funds to produce a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthplace.
Kharge claimed that Rs 5 crore from these welfare funds, meant for the upliftment of Dalit and Adivasi communities, was redirected to making the film on Vadnagar, Gujarat.
Addressing the media, Kharge accused the BJP of hypocrisy, stating that while they have been targeting the Congress government over alleged fund misappropriations, their own administrations across the country have diverted SCP/TSP funds for non-welfare activities
Kharge said, “The Modi model of development is clear: exclude Adivasis and Dalits.”
“The BJP has been spreading fake news, but the reality is that there was more corruption and fund misuse during their tenure,” he said.
Kharge cited multiple instances of such diversions, including the Maharashtra government waiving farmers’ loans using Rs 2,000 crore from SCP/TSP funds, and the Madhya Pradesh government allocating Rs 96.76 crore from the same funds for cow welfare programmes.
“Are we, as Dalits and Adivasis, worth less than cows in India now? Is BJP rule so ineffective that it cannot even protect our dignity?” he said.
He highlighted that the Government of India itself had redirected Rs 217.15 crore from Adivasi development funds to telecom companies like Airtel and Jio through the Department of Telecommunications.
The BJP is set to stage a protest against the Karnataka government regarding SCP/TSP funds, but Kharge called the move ironic, stating, “They should be ashamed that their own governments have been misusing these funds across the country.” He claimed that his allegations are backed by official RTI documents and government records.
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