From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Mysuru, Apr 3: Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s charge that Congress government had delayed submitting its memoranda seeking drought relief funds from the Centre, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lambasted the senior BJP leader for “lying” and warned that the people of Karnataka are aware of the situation and would teach a befitting lesson to the “blatant lies peddled” by Amit Shah.
Speaking to media persons in Mysuru on Wednesday, he said Amit Shah should be ashamed to utter lies while addressing a BJP rally in the State and said the Narendra Modi regime has consistently refused to honour the requests of the government for release of funds under the National Disaster Management despite repeated reminders and memoranda submitted by the government over the last five months.
“Karnataka has strictly followed the Central norms and after the declaration of drought in the state, we first appealed to the Centre on September 23. In October, the central team toured the state and reported on the drought. We have submitted three appeals and on December 19, I personally met the Prime Minister and Amit Shah on December 20 and informed them about the drought situation in the state,” he said.
The Chief Minister said: “Amit Shah said that he will hold a high level committee meeting on December 23.Even though it has been five months since the petition was filed, the central government has not provided drought relief to the state, what morals do they have? Amit Shah, the Home minister of the country, has uttered outright lies to shame even the truth.”
He said he is ready to demonstrate all these aspects with appropriate documentation and questioned this attitude of the Centre. We have already moved the Supreme Court.
“As per the 15th Finance Commission, the National Disaster Management Fund has been given to the Centre to provide relief to natural calamities occurring in different parts of the country. NDRF funds belong to the states,’’ he said pointing out that Karnataka is not begging but demanding what the Centre must rightfully give.
‘Will retire from politics if Amit Shah proves his charges’
“The people of the state should teach a proper lesson to the central BJP government which did not respond even though the people of the state were reeling from the drought,” he said.
Siddaramaiah challenged Amit Shah to prove his allegation that Karnataka had delayed submitting the memoranda by three months and declared that he would retire from politics if what he said is wrong. “Let Amit Shah prove his charges and accept the challenge,” he declared and said: “Uttering blatant lies in a public platform doesn’t behove the Home Minister of the country.”
Later, he campaigned for the Congress party’s Mysuru candidate M Lakshman and Chamarajanagara candidate Sunil Bose. Both the Congress candidates must be elected with a massive lead and teach a befitting lesson to the BJP for its lies.
Siddaramaiah said victory of Lakshman and Sunil Bose would strengthen his hands and the Congress party.