From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Kalaburagi, Apr 27: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who addressed a news conference in Kalaburgi before starting his electioneering for Karnataka’s second leg of elections to 14 seats in northern parts of the State, claimed that intelligence reports have confirmed that the Congress party has done exceedingly well in the first phase for 14 seats which went to polls on Saturday.

“The implementation of the five guarantees have helped the people, especially the poor, unemployed youth and women, and they will help the ruling party in a big way,” he claimed.

At the same time, he lambasted the BJP and the Narendra Modi regime for its ‘very meagre’ release of funds for drought relief, which is a ‘pittance’ and ‘not even one fourth of the State’s request for release of Rs 18,172 crore’.

Siddaramaiah said the Congress government had to wage a relentless battle to secure its rightful share and even hold protests in Delhi and ultimately go the extent of knocking on the doors of the Supreme Court that compelled the Modi regime to release a ‘very meagre amount’.

“Karnataka had submitted a memorandum seeking release of Rs 17,172 crore towards drought relief as far back as in September last year. The drought situation is one of the worst in the last 100 years and the State suffered crop losses to the tune of over Rs 35,000 crore with loss and damage in 48 lac hectares of agricultural land.”

Siddaramaiah said the Congress government had submitted the request on September 13 last year and the Modi government did not act for seven months, forcing the government to approach the Supreme Court.

“Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had claimed that the government delayed in submitting the demand, which is totally false,” he said.

Lashing out at Nirmala Sitharaman, the Chief Minister said the Union Finance Minister had the ‘audacity to claim that the government had sought funds for the implementation of guarantees and not for drought relief’ and declared that the government had not asked for any financial assistance for the guarantees, which are part of the Congress party’s assembly election manifesto.

“I have personally met Modi on December 19 and he had promise to take a decision within a week by directing the concerned,” he said and again said he had met Amit Shah on December 20. “He (Amit Shah) had promised to convene the inter-ministerial meeting on December 23 to take a decision,” he said wondering how the Centre could utter such ‘blatant lies’.

“Karnataka had demanded Rs 18,174 crore as drought relief funds and they have finally released barely Rs 3,454 core, which is not even one fourth of our request as per the prescribed Central norms,” he said and said the Government will decide on its future course of action after consulting officials and legal experts as the State’s case is coming up before the Supreme Court on April 28.

EC hasn’t acted on Modi’s statements on ‘mangalasutra & quota for Muslims’

The Chief Minister charged the Election Commission for not acting on the Congress party’s complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “false statements on snatching mangalasutras of Hindu women to give to Muslims and on the reservation for Muslims.”

“Modi is an expert in uttering lies and repeating them again and again. He has made lies as his election campaign material. He seeks to polarise people by raising emotive issues, which is totally unbecoming of a person holding the PM’s post,” he said and wondered why Election Commission has not acted on the complaint.

Siddaramaiah said the people are smart and they are watching everything and take their own decisions.

The Chief Minister said Congress government has not mentioned the ‘mangalasutra’ issue in its manifesto at all as claimed by Modi. The party has made its position on the reservation issue very clear. It is the BJP which is against reservation and it had opposed the Mandal commission’s report on reservation to other backward classes.

Siddaramaiah said the reservation for Muslims has been in force in Karnataka since the last 30 years, which was based on economic and educational backwardness not based on religion as claimed by Modi. The Basavaraj Bommai’s BJP government had removed the reservation to Muslims to benefit the Vokkaligas. When the matter went to Supreme Court, the Bommai government had submitted an affidavit to continue to the reservation to Muslims.

“It is completely false and a lie to claim that reservation of backward classes will be snatched to help Muslims,” he said condemning Modi’s attempts to polarise voters on the basis of castes and religion. “A PM should protect and safeguard the interests of all sections of people and not any one religion or party as PM should represent the entire country and all citizens,” he added.