BJP slams PM for minority insecurity remarks

Rejecting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's charge that minorities are feeling insecure under its rule in Karnataka, BJP today said he should be pointing fingers at his own party-ruled states where communal violence had been reported.
"There has been no communal incident reported in Karnataka in the last five years of BJP rule, whereas communal riots have been reported in Congress-ruled states including Maharashtra and Rajasthan," party spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman told reporters here.
Instead of levelling "baseless" allegations against Karnataka government, the Prime Minister should have thrown light on Dhule and Bharatpur communal violence which left several people dead, she said.

"Shouldn't Mr PM point fingers at Congress-ruled states and not Karnataka where there is communal harmony?" she said.
In an allround attack on the BJP government in Karnataka, Singh, in an election meeting in the poll-bound state, had yesterday accused it of "misgovernance" and "corruption" and said the minorities were feeling insecure under its rule.
Countering his remarks, Sitharaman said apart from providing security to minorities, the state government had taken several measures for their development.

The government had allocated Rs 475 crore for minority development and spent Rs 20 crore for the upkeep of churches. "Such a fund was never allocated by any other regime ."

About Rs 50 crore had been spent for improving the Haj building, besides providing fellowships to seven lakh minority students, which had not been done before, she added.
Sitaraman accused Singh of misleading the people by claiming that the development in Karnataka had taken place due to the inclusive growth policy of the UPA Government.
"On one hand, he gives away awards to Karnataka government at the Centre and on the other levels baseless allegations during his visit here," she said.
The financial management of the state compared to the central government in last ten years had been much better because the deficit was well within three per cent, she claimed. "If this fact is looked into by the economist Prime Minister, he would not have alleged what he alleged yesterday," she said.