Bengaluru/New Delhi, Aug 6 — BJP MP and former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, Govind Karjol, on Thursday condemned the eviction of street vendors in Bengaluru by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) under the 'Safe Footpath Campaign', comparing the government's actions to the controversial Turkman Gate demolitions during the Emergency and accusing it of threatening the livelihoods of lakhs of poor families.
The Karnataka government launched a ‘Safe Footpath Campaign’ on July 1 this year to remove footpath encroachments across Bengaluru, with Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda asserting that nearly 300 pedestrians lose their lives in road accidents every year after being forced to walk on roads due to encroached footpaths. He had clarified that the encroachments were being removed in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court and in response to repeated demands from Bengaluru residents for safe and accessible footpaths.
While the state government promised relocation and organised pushcarts for registered vendors, unions have strongly opposed the sudden evictions.
Speaking to the media in Delhi, Karjol said the treatment meted out to street vendors in Bengaluru reminded him of the 1976 Turkman Gate incident in Delhi, when around 25,000 houses were demolished using bulldozers under the leadership of Sanjay Gandhi, leaving lakhs of families homeless.
"The country has never forgotten the injustice committed then. Today, the atrocities being carried out by the Karnataka Congress government against street vendors in Bengaluru are causing similar pain," he said.
Alleging that the government has targeted the livelihoods of the poor, Karjol claimed that nearly 2.5 lakh street vendor families have been pushed into distress and that around 10 lakh people stand to lose their means of livelihood due to the government's actions.
He accused the party of remembering Dalits, the poor and backward communities only during elections.
"The Congress remembers the poor, Dalits and backward classes only when it needs votes. The government must introspect," he said.
Highlighting the Centre's initiatives for street vendors, Karjol said Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the PM SVANidhi scheme to economically empower street vendors by conducting a nationwide survey and extending institutional credit through banks.
He claimed that under the scheme, more than 75 lakh street vendors across the country have received loans worth over Rs 17,800 crore.
Karjol said nearly 60 per cent of the beneficiaries are women, many of whom belong to farming families and earn their livelihood by bringing vegetables and fruits grown on their farms to cities for sale.
He further said that around three lakh beneficiaries in Karnataka have availed assistance under the PM SVANidhi scheme. He added that the Central government has also introduced credit card facilities for street vendors and claimed that nearly 50 per cent of the beneficiaries belong to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
Questioning senior leaders, Karjol asked former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan whether they remember Dalits, the poor and backward communities only during elections.
"Do you not have even a little time to speak against the alleged harassment of street vendors?" he asked.
Warning of political consequences if the alleged action continues, Karjol said the poor, labourers and marginalised communities would give a fitting reply through democratic means.
He urged the Karnataka government to immediately stop the alleged harassment of street vendors, protect their livelihoods and provide them with the necessary administrative and financial support.
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