The Karnataka government came under fire after it demolished over 200 houses in Bengaluru, leaving hundreds from the Muslim community homeless. The demolition drive, which was reported earlier this week, has triggered a massive war of words between the ruling Congress and the Kerala Left Front unit, which has accused the party of normalising "bulldozer raj" widely seen in northern states.
Senior leaders should not interfere: Shivakumar to Kerala CM
Earlier in the day, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar took a sharp jibe at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over his criticism of the demolition drive in Bengaluru, asserting that "senior leaders should not interfere without knowing the facts on the ground.
"Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Shivakumar described Vijayan's remarks as "unfortunate" and said leaders from outside the state must first understand Bengaluru's realities before making political comments. The Deputy CM maintained that the action was aimed at protecting public land and not targeted at any community.
Shivakumar said the area in question was an encroached waste dumpsite and alleged that land mafia interests were behind attempts to turn it into a slum."We have humanity. We gave people an opportunity to move to new places. Only a few of them are locals," he said, adding that the government was trying to protect public space.
We are not into bulldozers: DK Shavakumar
"We are not into bulldozers. We are trying to safeguard our land and public property," he asserted. Shivakumar also appealed directly to the Kerala Chief Minister to refrain from commenting without full knowledge of the situation. "Senior leaders like Pinarayi Vijayan should know the issues in Bengaluru. We know our city well, and we don't want to entertain slums that promote land mafia activities," he said.
The Deputy CM's response came after Kerala CM Vijayan, in a post on Facebook, strongly criticised the demolition of Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout in Bengaluru. Vijayan termed the action "extremely shocking and painful," alleging that Muslims had been living in these areas for years and accusing the Karnataka government of following a "North Indian bulldozer justice model.
What Vijayan said on Bengaluru demolition drive?
In a stinging post on X, Vijayan said, "Sadly, the Sangh Parivar's anti-minority politics is now being executed under a Congress government in Karnataka. When a regime rules through fear and brute force, constitutional values and human dignity become the first casualties."
