The Legislative Assembly on Tuesday saw the Opposition BJP and the Congress choosing steel flyover and demonetisation issues, respectively, to politically outsmart each other.
Irked over BJP member C.T. Ravi’s remarks that the government has given more attention to construction of the controversial steel flyover in Bengaluru and paid only a lip service to drought in villages, the Congress members raised the issue of demonetisation.
Participating in the discussion on drought and drinking water problem, Mr. Ravi remarked: “Let the government build a steel or silver flyover when there is abundance wealth. But now, more than three-fourths of the taluks in the State have been declared drought-hit and there is no need to spend on construction of the flyover.”
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Congress members countered by saying that farmers have not been able to withdraw money from their accounts and purchase seeds and other inputs owing to demonetisation. The Centre was more responsible for sufferings of rural people, said Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy. This resulted in a heated exchange of words between the Congress and the BJP members.
Earlier, Opposition JD (S) members sought permission to discuss the impact of demonetisation on District Credit Co-operative Banks through an adjournment motion. When the Speaker asked them to wait till the completion of discussion on drought, JD(S) members trooped into the well of the House and commenced a dharna leading to adjournment of the House for some time.