Karnataka - Bellary   

‘Opposition being belittled’

Siddaramaiah

BELLARY: Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah has accused the Government of curtailing the rights of Opposition leaders by directing officials not to participate in meetings convened by them.

Responding to questions from presspersons here on Friday, he said he had made it clear that the meeting he had called was not to review schemes, but to interact with officials on various issues such as the possibility of drought and seek clarifications on development projects.

“From whom, other than the implementing officers, can I get the required information? Despite making our stand clear, the State Government has issued a circular directing officials not to attend meetings convened by Opposition leaders. Officials have also been threatened with stern action if they flout the directive. This shows the dictatorial attitude of those in power,” he said.

Mr. Siddaramaiah termed the Government action a breach of privilege and said that the office of the Leader of the Opposition held high significance in a democracy. “Issuing such a circular is tantamount to disregarding the office of the Leader of the Opposition. The matter will be raised in the Assembly.”

He said that this was the 10th district he had visited in the recent past to monitor development work. “In Bellary too, very few officials came to meet me. The Deputy Commissioner, the Superintendent of Police and the chief executive officer of the zilla panchayat did not keep their appointments with me,” he said.

During his interactions with officials, they had told him that the dry spell had not only affected germinated crops but also sowing.

So far, only 30 percent of sowing had been undertaken, but the district had enough stocks of seeds and chemical fertilizers. Mr. Siddaramaiah said that there were several issues such as miners encroaching into the State from Andhra Pradesh, the Bellary airport controversy and the power crisis that needed to be addressed. These issues would be raised in the Assembly.

Legislators K.S.L. Swamy and E. Tukaram were present.

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