Southern States - Karnataka   

BJP ready to face polls anytime: Ananth

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore July 13. The BJP in the State is fully geared to face elections to the Assembly and the Lok Sabha if they were to be advanced as stated by the President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), B.Janardhana Poojary.

This confidence was expressed by the president of the State unit of the party, H.N.Ananth Kumar, here today.

He, however, pointed out that the BJP President, M.Venkaiah Naidu, had, after the party's "Chintan Baitak" in Mumbai recently, clearly said that elections would be held only when they were due.

Mr. Kumar, who was speaking to presspersons after resigning as Union Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation on Saturday, said now that he had resigned from the Union Cabinet, his task was to develop the party as the only alternative to the Congress.

Dismissing as imaginary an allegation that he had an understanding with the Chief Minister, S.M.Krishna, and the latter was instrumental in his becoming the State BJP President, Mr. Kumar said the BJP's target was the Congress, and whenever the State interests were involved his understanding was with the people. The Congress had created problems and the BJP alone could solve them.

Mr. Kumar said that after taking over as State BJP chief, he had toured 10 districts along with party's Election Campaign Committee Chairman, B.S.Yediyurappa, and the party leader, Ramachandre Gowda. The former minister said he found that people, including farmers and agricultural labourers, wanted a change in the government. Mr. Kumar said that he was satisfied that during his tenure as Union minister he was able to help in solving the Cauvery and Alamatti Dam controversy, and the South-Western Railway Zone row, besides getting an international airport for Bangalore, securing Rs.10,000-crore assistance from HUDCO, and 1,600 km. of additional national highway and new railway lines for the State.

Mr. Yediyurappa demanded that the Government place in the House on Monday the report of the Lokayukta on drought relief works, which, he said, would expose the irregularities that had allegedly taken place. This would help in taking corrective action.

Criticising the Government for its "poor" planning in providing relief to the people, Mr. Yediyurappa said the Government seemed to think that drought meant providing jobs to agricultural labourers.

It was sad that the Government had forgotten its promise to set up a permanent drought relief fund. It had also failed to take steps to disburse relief to farmers under the crop insurance scheme. As against Rs. 309 crore due only Rs. 29.41 crore had been cleared, he said.

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