Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar stood his ground on Tuesday, firmly dismissing allegations of "appeasement politics" while defending the state’s decision to provide alternate housing for "genuine" residents affected by a recent demolition drive in Kogilu. The controversy stems from the December 20 clearing of Waseem Layout and Fakir Colony, where Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited razed houses to make way for a waste processing unit. While the Bharatiya Janata Party has labelled the quick relief as a political favour to a specific community, Shivakumar emphasised that the assistance is a humanitarian measure strictly reserved for eligible locals who pass a rigorous document verification process.
The political heat surrounding the demolition intensified because most of the razed structures reportedly belonged to Muslims, leading Bharatiya Janata Party leaders to accuse the Congress government of rewarding illegal encroachers. Shivakumar, however, clarified that the government is not "making an illegal act legal." Instead, he explained that they are identifying people whose names appear in voter lists and other official records to ensure that genuine, homeless locals aren't left on the streets, while still taking legal action against the masterminds behind the unauthorised encroachments. He also noted that many occupants were reportedly migrants who had been charged money by third parties to settle there.
The issue has also sparked a rare inter-state friction between the Karnataka government and neighboring Kerala. After Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the demolition as a "brutal normalisation of bulldozer raj" and Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal raised concerns with the state leadership, Shivakumar’s response was blunt. He told reporters that Karnataka does not need "unnecessary interference" from outside politicians, suggesting that the Kerala government should focus on its own unfulfilled promises to disaster victims in their state. "We know how to run our state," he remarked, even suggesting that if Kerala leaders were so concerned, they were welcome to take the migrants to their own state and provide for them there.
As the state government moves forward with the verification of title deeds and voter IDs for the displaced families, the tension remains high. The administration is balancing a fine line between enforcing municipal laws and managing the humanitarian fallout, all while navigating a complex web of minority vote-bank politics that has now spilled across state borders.
Also read: Stay out of our state's affairs: Shivakumar to Kerala CM
Follow us
