Bengaluru demolition row : DK Shivakumar slams Kerala CM, asks him to stay out of Karnataka issues
In a Facebook post on Friday, Vijayan likened the demolition of 200 houses at Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout at Yelahanka to the "North Indian model of a bulldozer raj". Flaying the "anti-minority" move, Vijayan expressed dismay at the manner in which families who had lived in the colonies for years were evicted without notice.
Bangalore: Leading to a direct confrontation between Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and his Karnataka counterpart over the latest demolition row in Bengaluru, deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar has advised Kerala chief minister not to interfere in the affairs of the Congress-ruled state after the latter criticised an anti-encroachment drive in Muslim residential areas in Bengaluru.
"North Indian model of bulldozer raj”, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
In a Facebook post on Friday, Vijayan likened the demolition of 200 houses at Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout at Yelahanka to the "North Indian model of a bulldozer raj". Flaying the "anti-minority" move, Vijayan expressed dismay at the manner in which families who had lived in the colonies for years were evicted without notice.
"Another version of the aggressively anti-minority politics implemented by the Sangh Parivar in North India has now been witnessed in Karnataka. In the biting cold, an entire population has been forced to flee into the streets," Vijayan wrote on Facebook.
"Pinarayi Vijayan's statement was unfortunate"
Shivakumar on Saturday termed Vijayan's statement "unfortunate" and said senior leaders like him should not make comments without knowing the facts.
"The site where the action was taken was illegally occupied. The affected people will be provided with alternative housing. The site in question is a dangerous quarry pit meant for solid waste dumping. The government and local MLAs are aware, and those affected have been shifted humanely," Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru.
He said the Congress government knew Bengaluru well, and it did not want to entertain the slum created by the land mafia. "No one should come and put up huts there. It's not a question of minorities. We tried to protect our land and we are ready to give houses to those who are eligible under the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana," he said.