Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his foreign tour during the recent floods in several States, including Karnataka, the Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah alleged here on Saturday that the Union government had not released any money for flood-relief works in the State.
Addressing a convention of party workers at the Town Hall, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the State witnessed unprecedented floods this year. About 1 lakh families, with 4 lakh persons, had been affected in the State.
About 1,000 villages had been submerged and in all, 88 people died owing to floods. In such a situation, both the Union and the State governments should have rushed to the help of people. But the Prime Minister was “enjoying” his foreign trip, he alleged.
“I don’t understand the priorities of the government,” the former Chief Minister said, and added that the Prime Minister had not even visited a flood-hit State.
‘Pro-capitalist’
Mr. Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP government is pro-captialist, pro-industrialist, pro-‘upper castes’, and pro-rich.
Earlier, he visited the recent garbage dump slip areas near Mangaluru. Later he visited the flood-hit areas under Charmadi Gram Panchayat in Belthangady taluk. He also visited Manjunatha temple at Dharmasthala.
Speaking to presspersons in Dharmasthala, he alleged that the Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda and the BJP were responsible for the end of the coalition government in the State.
Meanwhile, speaking at the party workers’ conference in Mangaluru, the former Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily said that mere blaming the BJP would not help to strengthen the party. Instead the party should introspect and the workers should create awareness among people on the contributions of the party to the country from the grassroots level.
