There is no bulldozer culture here…Political Mahabharata on Bengaluru demolition! Kerala CM’s statement creates ruckus in Congress too

Politics has heated up regarding the recent demolition campaign in Bengaluru. from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan After accusing the Karnataka government of ‘bulldozer rule’ and ‘anti-minority politics’, now Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivkumar has made a sharp counterattack. He has clearly said that the Congress government does not believe in ‘politics of fear and coercion’ and this action has been taken solely to free the government land from encroachment.

DK Shivakumar termed the allegations as beyond the facts and said that the Kerala Chief Minister has made the comment without knowing the truth. He bluntly said that there is no ‘bulldozer culture’ in Bengaluru and the government is ready to help the affected people on humanitarian grounds also.

Kerala CM’s allegations create political storm

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while posting on social media platform X, had criticized the demolition of more than 200 houses in Bengaluru. He had written, ‘When a regime runs on the strength of fear and force, constitutional values ​​and human dignity are the first to be crushed.’ Vijayan also linked it to the controversial bulldozer actions taking place in North India, which deepened the controversy.

DK Shivkumar’s counterattack – ‘Rhetoric without knowing the facts’

Responding to these allegations, DK Shivakumar said that he has made the comment without knowing the facts of the case. Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivnagar residence, the Deputy Chief Minister clarified that the structures that were demolished were built on government land, which was earlier being used as a solid waste dumping site. He said that the land from which encroachment was removed was a solid waste dumping pit. There were many health problems related to this in this area. We also have humanity within us and we also gave people the opportunity to shift to another place.”

Allegations of ‘bulldozer raj’ rejected

DK Shivakumar completely denied the allegations of ‘bulldozer raj’ and said, “We do not have bulldozer culture here. I appeal to Pinarayi Vijayan not to talk like this. We are only protecting the government land located in the heart of the city.” He claimed that this action was necessary to save government property in the heart of the city. The Deputy Chief Minister also alleged the role of land mafia behind this entire matter. He said, “Land mafia sets up slums with the intention of taking over the land later. We will not allow this to happen.” Also assured that those who are eligible will be given houses under Rajiv Gandhi Housing Scheme.

400 families homeless, what is the ground reality?

Around 400 families were rendered homeless in this campaign conducted in Fakir Colony and Wasim Layout (Kogilu village) on the morning of 22 December. This action was taken by Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited in the presence of heavy police force. The government says these houses were built illegally near a lake and an Urdu government school, while locals claim they were removed without any prior notice and they were forced to spend the night on the streets.

Clarification on allegations of targeting minorities

On allegations of targeting minorities, Shiv Kumar said that ‘Bengaluru is not like other cities… it has nothing to do with minorities. If anyone is really affected, we will provide him accommodation elsewhere. He also added that the Congress government under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan has built lakhs of houses for the poor in the state.