Politicisation of Kogilu demolition along communal lines shifts focus from homelessness, say activists

Activists working with the homeless and slum residents for decades in Bengaluru decry how the politicisation of the demolition of homes in Kogilu Layout has shifted the focus away from homelessness to a discourse shaped along communal lines.

A. Narasimha Murthy, convenor, Slum Janandolana, Karnataka, said that they were shocked at how the entire issue had been hijacked and turned into a ‘Hindu-Muslim’, ‘Kannada-migrant’ issue.

“It is the poor and homeless, who, left with no option but to put up shacks in landfill land, were ruthlessly driven out from there as well. Anything else is a diversion from this core issue,” he said, adding the politicisation was hitting the welfare and the rights of the residents who lost houses. “Now the decision to allot them flats is so bitterly contested; there are PILs filed against it. The government has also been delaying the allotment, which it had promised to complete the process on January 1,” he said.

The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not only accused the Congress of ‘minority appeasement’, but has also been consistently referring to the residents as ‘Bangladeshis’, with no evidence. A city-based advocate has filed a complaint against Leader of Opposition R. Ashok with the Karnataka State Minorities Commission over the same.

However, refuting charges of communalising the issue, a senior BJP leader pointed out that it was Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who first identified those who lost their houses as Muslims, and accused Congress of targeting minorities, and not the BJP. “It is a contest for the Muslim vote in Kerala between the Left and the Congress which has spilled out here. We are only responding to it,” he argued.

Isaac Amruthraj, president, Slum Janara Sanghatane, Karnataka, said the Kogilu case stands out for the ruthless demolition of houses with no prior notice and the subsequent politicisation which has made national headlines. But he said homelessness was rampant among the urban poor. “While there are nearly 570 notified slums in Bengaluru, there are 130 to 140 unnotified slums, like the settlement demolished in Kogilu. There is a huge influx of migrant labourers into the city, both from within the State and from outside. Successive governments have failed to address their housing needs,” he said.

Responding to a question raised by MLC Shivakumar K. in the recently concluded Karnataka Legislature Session, Minister for Housing B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan pegged the homeless in Bengaluru Urban district at 98,487, out of a total of 37.48 lakh in the State.

Mr. Murthy said that there were over 10,000 to 15,000 families in these unnotified slums/settlements and they were being fleeced by the local strongmen, who are politically linked, to pay up rents in the range of ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 per month, and there were many instances of harassment as well. “We have made repeated representations to the State government, the latest five months ago, appealing to them to formulate a policy to address this issue, to no avail,” he said.