From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Apr 23: Elated by the Union Government’s assurance in Supreme Court to settle Karnataka’s demand for Central grants under the Disaster Management Fund to mitigate the drought situation within a week, the ruling Congress party on Tuesday launched a symbolic silent protest against the step-motherly treatment to the State by the Centre to signal “Go back Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.”
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, Ministers Krishna Byre Gowda, K J George, Ramalinga Reddy, Byrathi Suresh and others observed a silent dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in front of Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday.
“Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah hate the people of Karnataka and shamelessly come to the State to seek votes,” Siddaramaiah said and asserted that Modi and Shah as well as BJP has no moral right to seek the votes from the people of Karnataka.
The Chief Minister said “Both Modi and Shah hate the people of Karnataka and the farmers. They did not bother to ensure justice to the State and have failed. Therefore, we had to inevitably hold protests and draw the attention of the people of the State and the entire country.”
Siddaramaiah said the State Government had submitted the memorandum on the drought situation and requested drought relief funds as early as on September 22 last year. A Central Study Team visited the State and toured across the State for 4 days and has submitted its report to the Union Government. Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda and Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge have met the Union ministers concerned and explained the situation that 223 out of the 240 taluks were facing severe drought conditions.
“Karnataka has not faced such a serious drought situation in the last 100 years. Despite submitting the memorandum by the State Government and getting the Central Study Team’s report, the Centre has not bothered. When Amit Shah visited Channapatna, he had the audacity to claim that the memorandum was submitted very late,” he said.
Siddaramaiah mentioned that the Congress government had requested Central grants for drought relief to the tune of Rs 18.172 crore as per the norms. The memorandum is pending since the last seven months.
“I have personally met the Prime Minister and he had assured me that he will instruct the persons concerned to release the funds. I along with Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda had met Amit Shah in Delhi again on December 20 and he personally promised to convene the Inter-Ministerial meeting on December 23 and settle the issue. But he has not done anything,” he said.
“We had to inevitably approach the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to release drought relief funds. After not bothering to heed our requests for seven months, with what face both Modi and Shah visiting the State. They have no moral right to visit the State until the funds and other promised grants are released,” he said.
The Chief Minister lambasted Union Finance Minister for “falsely claiming that the Congress government is asking for funds to meet the expenditure on implementing the Guarantees and not for drought relief” and stated that the government has asked for even a single naya paisa to fund the guarantees and there is no need for Central funds to meet the expenses on the guarantees.
The Congress government has spent Rs 36,000 crore on the guarantees and has set apart Rs 52,009 crore during the coming year, he said and explained that there is no need for the Centre to worry about our guarantees.
Karnataka has effectively faced the drought situation out of its own funds by releasing Rs 2000 each to the affected 34 lakh farmers. Arrangements have been made to ensure supply of drinking water and also fodder for cattle.
Surjewala said the government had to inevitably approach the Supreme Court seeking justice and the Centre had to bow down. But for the apex court, Centre would not have budged. The Congress party wants to go before the people and convince them to defeat BJP. The people’s court will support us, he said.