Bengaluru, 20 Feb

The Opposition BJP and JD(S) on Tuesday mounted a scathing attack on the Congress government for "illegally allocating" Rs 15 lakh to the kin of a Kerala man who was killed by an elephant captured in Karnataka but later strayed into Wayanad in the neighbouring state.

The BJP has alleged that the Siddaramaiah government is misusing taxpayers' money "to curry favour" with former party president Rahul Gandhi. “The Congress government announced Rs 15 lakh (compensation) for the Kerala man trampled by an elephant from Karnataka on the orders of Kerala MP Rahul Gandhi. The BJP condemns this decision of our government,” BJP State Chief BY Vijayendra said on Tuesday. He criticised the government for giving compensation of Rs 2,000 per hectare, amid crippling drought in Karnataka, "as if giving alms to the farmers".

However, the government is giving Rs 15 lakh to the kin of the man killed in an elephant attack only to please Rahul Gandhi and the Congress high command, which is "condemnable", the Shikaripura MLA said.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka hit out at state Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre for utilising Karnataka taxpayers’ money like Congress party’s property.  “Hello Eshwar Khandre, do you think that Karnataka taxpayers’ money is Congress’s property to release it on the orders of Rahul Gandhi and K C Venugopal?” Ashoka asked on social media site X. “Does your minister have the guts to 'Ask Boldly' to the party high command that it is ‘My Tax, My Right’?" he further questioned.

Ashoka’s jibe at CM Siddaramaiah was directed at the Congress party’s protest held in Delhi on February 7 against the Centre, which used the slogan ‘My Tax, My Right’. The phrase ‘Ask boldly’ is related to the controversy that broke out recently, following the change in the motto of residential schools run by the Social Welfare department.

JD(S) second-in-command and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy also hit out at the Congress government alleging that it gave Rs 15 lakh to the man killed in Wayanad but only Rs five lakh to those who died in Karnataka due to elephant attacks. “The families of those killed by elephants in Karnataka do not get the money easily. They have to struggle. You have created such a situation. However, in this case (Wayanad incident), you release funds at an 'electric speed'. This is the conduct of this government,” he alleged.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said he has no information about the compensation given by Karnataka. He said he would react only after getting the information.