The drive to demolish unauthorized structures in Bengaluru has escalated into a major political controversy, drawing in the Karnataka state government, the Congress high command, the opposition BJP, and the neighbouring Kerala government.
Karnataka’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) and BJP leader R Ashoka has strongly criticized Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, accusing him of interfering in the state’s administration. According to news agency PTI, Ashoka asserted that Karnataka deserves autonomy and honest governance rather than “theatrics” from the party’s central leadership.
Ashoka’s comments followed a statement by Venugopal on Saturday, where the Congress leader revealed he had spoken with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar regarding the demolition drive in Bengaluru’s Kogilu village.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Venugopal stated that he had conveyed the All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) serious concerns regarding the enforcement actions. He emphasized that such measures should be executed with “greater caution, sensitivity, and compassion,” placing the human impact at the forefront.
Venugopal’s intervention occurred shortly after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticized the demolitions. Vijayan likened the actions to the “North Indian model of bulldozer justice,” claiming it was entering South India and leaving people homeless. In response, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar had advised the Kerala Chief Minister to refrain from interfering in Karnataka’s internal affairs.
‘Karnataka is not a colony’
Angered by Venugopal’s directive to the state leadership, R Ashoka questioned the Congress General Secretary’s authority, asking if he was acting as a “Super CM” of Karnataka.
“Karnataka is not a colony of Rahul Gandhi and his coterie,” Ashoka stated. He questioned the legitimacy of Venugopal’s intervention in state administration, asking if the Congress high command operates under the belief that elected state governments must follow orders from Delhi.
The BJP leader termed Venugopal’s actions a “blatant overreach” and an affront to federalism, emphasizing that Karnataka is ruled by a constitutionally elected government, not by an AICC office-bearer.
BJP alleges hypocrisy over waste dumping
Ashoka further accused the Congress leadership of double standards. He pointed out that Venugopal has remained silent on other inter-state issues, specifically environmental concerns.
“Has KC Venugopal ever shown the same urgency when medical and other waste from Kerala have been illegally dumped along Karnataka’s borders, threatening Bandipur, forest regions, public health, and wildlife?” Ashoka asked, as quoted by PTI. He questioned why the Congress leader fails to speak up for Karnataka’s environment and farmers with equal concern.
Summarizing the Congress’s stance as “Silence there, sermons here,” Ashoka remarked that the people of Karnataka did not cast their votes for a “remote control government.”
(With inputs from PTI)
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