Mysuru: Udupi-Chikkamagalur MP and former Minister Shobha Karandlaje stayed overnight at Kyatamaranahalli yesterday as part of BJP’s ‘Slum Vastavya’ initiative.

The MP stayed at the residence of one Indresh, a construction worker at Kyatamaranahalli, coming under N.R. Constituency in city.

Earlier she performed Puja along with party workers at Huliyamma and Yattappa Temples in the area. On her way to Indresh’s residence, Shobha heard complaints and grievances of the residents.

At Indresh’s residence, she had dinner which comprised of anna sambar, batani palya, happala, payasa and butter milk. Shobha after her overnight stay had breakfast at Indresh’s residence this morning and released a booklet titled ‘Slum Dourbhagya’ (Misfortune of Slums) aimed at taking a potshot at the Congress Government’s apathy towards development of slums.

Later speaking to press persons, Shobha said that her stay at Kyatamaranahalli had made her possible to personally understand the real issues concerning the poor and working class.

Pointing out that Indresh has two daughters, she said that she was happy to note that Indresh was among the lakhs of beneficiaries of ‘Bhagyalakshmi Bond’ scheme launched by the BJP Government when B.S. Yeddyurappa was the Chief Minister.

Lashing out at the Congress Government for doing little for the poor, she said that many areas where the poor lived  were deprived of civic amenities, despite of tall claims made by the Government on development of slums.

Accusing the Congress of neglecting the poor after coming to power, she said, providing necessary infrastructure for development of slums would be the top priority of the BJP, if the party was voted to power in the forthcoming Assembly polls.

Making a reference to the plight of property owners in Kurubarahalli Survey No.4, Shobha said the Congress Government had gone back on its promise of resolving the row.

Maintaining that thousands of families who lived in layouts coming under Kurubarahalli Survey No. 4 were facing a lot of hardship for the past few years on account of the Government’s decision to stop issuance of land records, such as khata registration and transfer, Shobha urged the Congress Government to make serious efforts to end the row. She further said that the BJP leaders were working out plans to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in the city on Feb.19, a huge success.

Former MLC B.J. Puttaswamy, City BJP President Dr. B.H. Manjunath, leaders R. Kautilya Raghu, L. Nagendra, B.P. Manjunath, B.M. Nataraj, S. Murali and others were present.

‘It is Dalit Colony, not a Slum’

Even as MPs Shobha Karandlaje stayed at Kyatamaranahalli as part of the BJP’s ‘Slum Stay’ initiative, a section of Dalit community staged a protest yesterday against the MP, accusing her of defaming their area, a Dalit Colony, by calling it a ‘Slum.’

Alleging that BJP leaders are hatching a conspiracy to divide the Dalit community for political gains, the protesters maintained that no BJP leader had come to their rescue when they faced hardship a few years back.

Claiming that the area had a history of more than a century, they alleged that Shobha had humiliated the people by describing the area as a Slum.