Administrative machinery misused for Sadhana Sambhrama Yatre: Eshwarappa

He says Siddaramaiah using the platform to criticise his political opponents

Leader of the Oppositioin in the Legislative Council K.S. Eshwarappa has alleged that the administrative machinery was being misused for political reasons in the name of Sadhana Sambhrama Yatre — the ongoing tour of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The conventions — though are portrayed as government programmes — Mr. Siddaramaiah has indulged in criticising his political opponents in them, he told presspersons here on Monday. The performance of the State government in irrigation, poverty alleviation, and employment generation fronts is poor, he said, adding that to conceal these failures, Mr. Siddaramaiah was levelling baseless charges against his political opponents at these conventions.

He rubbished the allegation by Mr. Siddaramaiah at the conventions in Shivamogga district on Saturday that the BJP and Sangh Parivar were involved in instigating communal violence in coastal districts of the State and called it as baseless and false. Mr. Eshwarappa alleged that the unrest prevailing in coastal districts shed light on the breakdown of law and order machinery in the State under the Congress rule.

He alleged that the Congress government in the State had taken a soft stand towards some anti-national organisations involved in the murder of Hindutva activists for political gains. More than 21 Hindutva activists have been murdered in Karnataka in the past four years. The anti-national organisations responsible for these killings should be banned, he said.

Meanwhile, Ayanur Manjunath, former Rajya Sabha member, expressed his displeasure against bureaucrats, including M. Lokesh, Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner and K. Rakesh Kumar, CEO of Shivamogga ZP, for participating in conventions held as part of Sadhana Sambhrama Yatre in which Mr. Siddaramaiah criticised his political opponents. Mr. Manjunath said that as per protocol, BJP State president B.S. Yeddyurappa, who is also MP for Shivamogga, and Mr. Eshwarappa, MLC, were invited for the conventions and their names were printed on invitation cards. It is unfortunate that by violating the protocol, Mr. Yeddyurappa and Mr. Eshwarappa — who are also elected representatives — were criticised by Mr. Siddaramaiah in a harsh manner at the programme. The DC and ZP CEO were seated on the stage when this took place. The presence of bureaucrats on the dais when elected representatives are insulted raise question on their non-partisan credentials. The BJP would stage a protest against the DC and ZP CEO, he said.