Udupi (Karnataka), Apr 10 (PTI) Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Thursday accused the Congress government in the state of being "anti-poor", "anti-Hindu", and of lacking any meaningful development agenda.

Speaking during the BJP's Janaakrosha Yatra here, a statewide campaign against the Congress government over rising prices of essential commodities, he said the current administration is more focused on publicity than governance.

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"This is not a people-centric government. It's a government built on advertisements and empty promises. Price hikes have severely burdened the poor, and there has been no real development on the ground," Vijayendra alleged.

Criticising Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's leadership, he said, "The CM came to power using the AHINDA (a coalition of minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) slogan but has ignored the backward communities. The government is focusing only on minority appeasement and has become anti-Hindu."

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Vijayendra argued that the BJP's protest is not politically motivated.

"There are no elections around the corner. Yet we are out here because people are suffering. Before the elections, Siddaramaiah did a padayatra towards river Krishna, and Shivakumar (Deputy CM) did the Mekedatu padayatra. But neither has implemented a single irrigation project since," he claimed.

He questioned the government's commitment to the coastal region, particularly Udupi.

"Has the CM even visited Udupi? How much funding has he allocated for this district? Despite multiple appeals for grants to the Kapu Mariyamma Temple, not a single rupee has been released," he claimed.

"During Yediyurappa's tenure, temples and religious institutions received development funds. Today, the Congress government acts as if it came to power solely through the blessings of a particular religious community," he added.

Vijayendra further criticised the allocation of government funds and alleged, "Funds have been earmarked for the self-protection of Muslim girls, while Hindu girls continue to fall victim to love jihad. It is Hindu girls who need protection. Salaries for Maulvis have been increased and Muslims have been given four per cent reservation in government contracts."

Condemning the suspension of BJP MLAs for six months over their protests in the Assembly recently, he said, "The Speaker, whom I call a noble soul, has done this injustice. The same people talk about Ambedkar and the Constitution, but their actions betray Dalits. The Congress has only used Dalits as a vote bank and done nothing for their educational or social upliftment".

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, who also addressed the gathering at the Yatra, accused the state government of misusing power and funds earmarked for Scheduled Castes, and claimed that the Congress is fully aware it may not return to power in the next elections.

"The Congress government is engaged in unchecked corruption and arbitrary decision-making. They are misusing funds reserved for Scheduled Castes. Do they think they have taken Dalits on contract," he asked.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)