Silence questioned, Karnataka Congress resolves to take up cause of minorities

“We will stand up for constitutional values and communities who have been hurt since this BJP government came to power, especially for Muslims and Christians who have been attacked continuously with the filing of fake cases,” Shivakumar said at end of the two-day Congress Navsankalp Chintan Shibir. “Our party opposes this and will stand up for the interests of these communities,” he said.

“The communal polarisation in Karnataka has drawn global attention. The reputation of Karnataka and Bengaluru has to be protected. We are committed to doing this. We are committed to protecting the interests of all sections of society,” said the KPCC chief.

The Congress party in Karnataka has been criticised by its own leaders for being soft on the BJP and the right-wing on issues like the hijab controversy targeting Muslim girl students, preventing Muslim vendors from doing business at temple festivals, and attacks on places of Christian worship by citing forced conversions.

Two months ago, senior Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and Mallikarjun Kharge had stated at a meeting attended by AICC leader Rahul Gandhi that the party will lose the support of all communities if it does not stand up for those being targeted by the right-wing agenda.

Among other key decisions taken at the Karnataka Chintan Shibir of the Congress party is the reservation of 50 per cent of all posts in the party for people below the age of 50. The Congress will also focus on diverting the energy of the youth from addictions, including addiction to the communal agenda, and focus on addressing aspirations, Shivakumar said.

“An Urban NREGA or an urban jobs scheme is being planned. There will be total reforms in government employment schemes. It will be an exemplary job scheme. We will strive to create more jobs. We will put an end to the bribery and corruption in employment schemes,” the KPCC chief said in a virtual manifesto for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.

“Social justice and giving homes to the poor is our priority which the BJP has ignored. We will provide homes with two bedrooms at the least,” he added.

Among other measures proposed by the Congress party are changes to the forest settlement laws to facilitate all forest dwellers who have been cultivating land for a minimum of 25 years to be given land rights against a policy of granting rights only to Scheduled Tribes who have been living in forests for over 40 years.