BJP State President Nalin Kumar Kateel accused the Congress of keeping the minorities away from the BJP for the sake of its leaders’ selfish gains.
Inaugurating the state-level training camp of the BJP’s Minority Morcha in Mysuru on Monday, Mr Kateel said the Congress projected the BJP as a ghost to the minorities while claiming itself as their saviour. Though the Congress projected itself as a party that would help the minorities progress in life, it was only the Gandhi family and the Congress leaders who progressed, he said.
He sought to remind the gathering it was the BJP that appointed noted scientist Abdul Kalam as the country’s President and a crusader of labour rights, George Fernandes, as the country’s Defence Minister. Similarly, the party had also promoted former Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi as a leader, he said, and added that the BJP had identified leaders from not only the Muslim community but also the Christian community.
BJP’s welfare programmes for minorities
The BJP has always respected everyone who subscribed to a nationalist ideology, he said, while adding that the party would honour every individual who worships and loves this country. The BJP will oppose and condemn people who are against the country, engage in terrorist activities and shout slogans in favour of Pakistan, Mr. Kateel said.
He said the BJP government functions on the mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas and Sabka Vishwas”. After the BJP government came to power at the Centre, the injustice meted out to Muslim women through triple talaq was put to an end by abolishing the practice and ensuring them their constitutional rights, he said.
The minorities, who have now realised that they had been treated as a vote bank by the Congress party, had begun quitting the party, the BJP state president said.
The BJP in Karnataka led by Basavaraj Bommai too had come out with several welfare programmes for the minorities and released ₹500 crore towards their implementation. The welfare programmes for minorities include payment of scholarships to students, financial assistance through self-employment schemes, construction of Haj House for Haj pilgrims etc.
BJP to go after scams during Cong rule
Earlier, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the programme, Mr Kateel said the BJP Government will dig out the details of the scams committed during the regime of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and conduct an investigation against them.
When asked why the party, which was in the Opposition during the Congress regime, was mum, Mr Kateel said the party had raised issues like suicide of Deputy Superintendent of Police M K Ganapathy and the hostel scam. However, the then Congress government did not investigate the matter, unlike the present BJP government which had ordered a probe into the PSI recruitment scam.
He accused the Siddaramaiah government of concealing the scams. The party government was now digging out the details so that a probe can be conducted, he added.
The BJP Minority Morcha state president Syed Salam, who presided over the inaugural programme, said the party’s office bearers from different parts of the State were attending the two day camp.
The inaugural function was attended by Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, BJP State General Secretaries Ravi Kumar and Siddaraju, party’s state unit vice president Rajendra, newly elected Mayor Shivakumar and Deputy Mayor Roopa among others.
