– Mohammed Atherulla Shareef
Bengaluru: Congress legislator Rizwan Arshad strongly criticized BJP leaders in the Karnataka Assembly, questioning their remarks on the state budget.
“Aren’t Muslims citizens of this country? Aren’t they part of this society? If not, let them declare we are animals, unfit to live here,” Arshad asserted, targeting the Opposition.
During the budget debate, Arshad condemned BJP leaders, including R. Ashoka, for labeling Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s budget as a “Muslim budget,” “appeasement budget,” and “halal budget.”
“But tell me, which Muslims don’t pay taxes? Doesn’t our tax money go to the treasury? Don’t we have the right to demand our share?” Arshad questioned. He pointed out that out of the ₹4.10 lakh crore budget, ₹4,100 crore was allocated for minorities, not just Muslims.
“We did not come from elsewhere. We are your brothers, children of this soil. Many of us converted from backward classes or Dalits. Yet, there is no sympathy for us,” he emphasized.
BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal interrupted, accusing, “You throw stones, you fight, you drove Hindus out of Pakistan,” sparking a heated exchange in the assembly.
Arshad referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Muslim youth holding a “Quran in one hand and a computer in the other,” questioning BJP’s criticism of Siddaramaiah’s budget.
With minorities constituting 16% of Karnataka’s population, Arshad defended government welfare schemes for them. “What is wrong if the government supports their development? BJP is misleading the public,” he stated.
Accusing BJP of “sowing hatred,” Arshad warned that such politics could damage Karnataka’s international reputation. He urged the government to increase funds for minority welfare.
