Bengaluru Demolition Sparks Political Row: Kerala CM Slams Karnataka Govt, Shivakumar Hits Back

Bengaluru

oi-Gaurav Sharma

The
Karnataka
government
has
come
under
sharp
criticism
after
more
than
200
makeshift
houses
were
demolished
in
Bengaluru
earlier
this
week,
leaving
hundreds
of
residents
–
largely
from
the
Muslim
community
–
without
shelter.
The
incident
has
sparked
a
fierce
political
clash
between
the
ruling
Congress
in
Karnataka
and
leaders
of
the
Left
Front
in
Kerala,
who
accused
the
party
of
legitimising
“bulldozer-style
governance” commonly
associated
with
northern
states.

Responding
to
the
backlash,
Karnataka
Deputy
Chief
Minister
D.K.
Shivakumar
criticised
Kerala
Chief
Minister
Pinarayi
Vijayan
for
his
remarks
on
the
eviction
drive,
saying
senior
leaders
“should
not
interfere
without
knowing
the
facts
on
the
ground.” Addressing
reporters
in
Bengaluru,
Shivakumar
described
Vijayan’s
comments
as
“unfortunate”
and
said
that
outsiders
commenting
on
Bengaluru
must
first
acquaint
themselves
with
ground
realities.

Clarifying
the
government’s
stand,
Shivakumar
asserted
that
the
demolition
was
carried
out
to
reclaim
encroached
public
land
and
was
not
targeted
at
any
particular
religion
or
community.
He
claimed
the
area
was
originally
a
waste-dumping
site
and
alleged
that
the
land
mafia
was
trying
to
convert
it
into
a
slum
settlement.
“We
have
humanity.
People
were
given
an
opportunity
to
relocate.
Only
a
few
of
them
were
locals,”
he
said.

Rejecting
allegations
of
adopting
a
harsh
bulldozer
approach,
Shivakumar
added,
“We
are
not
into
bulldozers.
We
are
trying
to
safeguard
public
land
and
government
property.”
He
urged
Vijayan
to
avoid
political
commentary
without
“full
knowledge
of
Bengaluru’s
issues.”

Kerala
Chief
Minister
Pinarayi
Vijayan
earlier
criticised
the
demolition
through
social
media
posts,
calling
the
action
“deeply
shocking
and
painful.”
He
alleged
that
the
families
living
in
Fakir
Colony
and
Waseem
Layout
had
been
residents
for
years
and
accused
the
Congress
government
of
embracing
a
“North
India-style
bulldozer
justice”
often
associated
with
anti-minority
action.
“Sadly,
the
Sangh
Parivar’s
anti-minority
politics
is
now
being
executed
under
a
Congress
government
in
Karnataka,”
Vijayan
wrote.