Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 21 : The caste survey being conducted by the Congress government is an attempt to divide Hinduism and is an "anti-people survey" according to Karnataka Leader of Opposition R Ashoka.
Addressing a press conference here, the BJP leader said, "The Congress government is working to divide Hinduism in the name of a caste survey. People from all castes have opposed conversion. Names like Kuruba, Brahmin, Vishwakarma, etc., have been prefixed with "Christian." Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is a Christian, and this is being done to please her. If someone says they are from Pakistan or do not believe in the Constitution, will they write it down as it is? If it's a socio-educational survey, why mention caste names in it? Under the guidance of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, they are dividing Hindus."
Ashoka said that the ministers who are opposing this should resign and come out, and they should not just give statements and act.
"If they do this, the caste communities will not forgive the ministers. Preventing conversion is the government's job. But here, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah himself is sponsoring this work. To save his Chief Minister's position, he is adding everyone to Sonia Gandhi's community. Even if a hundred Siddaramaiahs come, they cannot tarnish Hinduism," he said.
He further said that the central government has already prepared for the census and caste census and that is official.
"The surveys conducted by the state government are not official. Future governments can reject them. If people can write whatever they want, why have a government? This is an insult to the Constitution. This is not a survey that provides justice to any caste. Those who tried to divide the Lingayat caste are now trying to divide Hinduism," the BJP leader said.
He further claimed that under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's leadership, Karnataka has been turned into a laboratory.
"In this experiment, work is being done to diminish Hinduism. Opportunities for people of other religions during Dasara, stone pelting on Ganesh processions, and many such acts are being carried out. In the previous survey, Rs 150 crore was swallowed. Now, hundreds of crores of rupees are being spent again," he alleged.
He said that the government is doing things like insulting the Election Commission, insulting Hinduism, spreading misinformation about Dharmasthala, and more. "They have invited writer Bhanu Mushtak to perform pooja at Chamundeshwari; I don't know what qualification she has for that," he said.
R Ashoka said that CM Siddaramaiah has admitted that the roads in Bengaluru are in bad condition.
"All roads need to be asphalted. Instead of filling potholes, the entire road needs to be repaired. DCM D K Shivakumar has said he has given Rs 25 crore. By the time it reaches BBMP and tenders are called, it will take another year. By then, rains will come again and potholes will increase. They should not give such statements just to wipe people's eyes. There are about 5 lakh potholes in the entire city. Asphalt laid comes off in just one hour. Instead of filling potholes, it is appropriate to asphalt the roads," he said.