‘Appeasement politics’ of Congress will deny houses to Kannadigas: BJP

The BJP on Monday accused the Congress in Karnataka of indulging in “appeasement politics”, citing the decision to allot houses to whom they described as “migrants from Bangladesh” at Kogilu Layout in Bengaluru while allegedly denying houses to Kannadigas.

Speaking on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address in the Legislative Assembly, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok said the Congress’s “vote-bank politics” posed a threat to national security and deprived eligible families in the State of housing benefits. He pointed out that over 37 lakh housing applicants were pending before the Karnataka Housing Board, with many applicants having paid substantial advance amount.

Mr. Ashok alleged that instead of allotting houses to residents of the State, the government was in a hurry to provide houses to Muslims who he claimed had “migrated from Bangladesh” and were living in temporary shelters at Kogilu Layout. He claimed that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who initially defended the eviction of families from the area citing land earmarked for waste management by the Greater Bengaluru Authority, later reversed the decision following a phone call from K.C. Venugopal, AICC general secretary.

According to Mr. Ashok, the issue was used by political leaders in Kerala and by sections of the Pakistani media to tarnish Karnataka’s image.

He also accused the government of adopting a “double standard,” noting that it was not willing to provide housing to families displaced by demolitions in the Cantonment area of the city.

The BJP leader further alleged that migrants from Bangladesh were working in coffee plantations in Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, and Kodagu districts for lower wages, claiming that plantation owners preferred migrant labour at ₹300 per day compared to ₹1,000 demanded by local workers. He also alleged that some anti-social elements were illegally facilitating Aadhaar cards for migrants, which were then used to access public benefits.

Mr. Ashok demanded strict action and called for the identification and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants from the country.