Allotment Controversy
BENGALURU
BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan and the Congress government, alleging that the allotment of houses in Bengaluru was being carried out with political and demographic motives rather than public welfare.
Reacting to reports of the government providing houses to alleged illegal residents at Kogilu Layout, Yatnal claimed that the minister was not working in the interest of the state or the country. “He does not want a country or a state. He wants his population and voters to increase,” Yatnal alleged, accusing the government of appeasement politics.
The Vijayapura MLA further claimed that the issue was being projected along religious lines and alleged that the Congress leadership was prioritising minority appeasement in the name of secularism. He said such decisions were being taken without understanding the concerns of local residents and long-time settlers in Karnataka.
Yatnal alleged that appeasement politics had reached its peak in the state, claiming that houses were being allotted to “non-locals” instead of “original residents and Kannadigas”. He further alleged that the government was acting under pressure from the Congress high command and ignoring the interests of people who have lived and worked in Karnataka for decades.
He demanded that the state government conduct a thorough verification of beneficiaries before allotting houses, alleging the presence of illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, in the state. “The government should first investigate who they are and which country they belong to before resettling anyone,” he said.
The MLA also said that many people from North Karnataka had migrated to Bengaluru as daily wage labourers over the years and deserved priority in rehabilitation and housing schemes. According to him, the present policy was an insult to Kannadigas and was being strongly opposed by the BJP.
Raising concerns about electoral integrity, Yatnal claimed that fake voters existed in several states and alleged that Karnataka was no exception. He said he had informed district authorities in Vijayapura about the presence of thousands of suspected fake voters and demanded that a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls be undertaken in the state as well.
Some of Yatnal’s remarks, including references to communal violence in neighbouring countries, drew criticism for their tone, even as political reactions continued over the housing allotment issue. The state government has not yet issued a detailed response to his allegations.
