Taking exception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “reluctance” to offer financial assistance to the State government for taking up relief and rehabilitation works for flood victims, Working President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Eshwar Khandre has said that the Prime Minister had insulted the flood victims.
“Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa expressed his discontent in front of the Prime Minister over the Union government’s reluctance to release funds for rehabilitation of flood victims. Yet, the Prime Minister did not say anything about it,” he said.
“When the Chief Minister went to Raj Bhavan to seek Centre’s aid for rehabilitation work, he was not allowed to meet the Prime Minister. It is nothing but an insult to Karnataka and its people. Instead of talking of the issues concerning the State such as rehabilitation of flood victims, joblessness, agrarian crisis and economic slowdown, he talked politics at length. The Prime Minister was so insensitive that he spoke communal politics in front of children,” he said.
Mr. Khandre was addressing a media conference in Kalaburagi on Sunday.
Referring to the BJP MLA Somashekhar Reddy’s controversial public address and issuance of a threat to Muslim community at a recent rally in Ballari supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, he said that Mr. Reddy had taken oath to impartially function without making any discrimination against caste, creed and religion, but he is doing exactly contrary to his oath.
“Mr. Reddy has issued a life threat to people of a minority community. The police who initially were reluctant to book a case against him filed an FIR only after public pleasure mounted on them. Mr. Reddy should be arrested and stringent legal action should be initiated against him,” Mr. Khandre said.
Talking on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Mr. Khandre said that the Act went diagonally opposite to the very foundations of the Constitution.
“When NRC [National Register of Citizens] was conducted in Assam, around 19 lakh people could not prove their citizenship as they did not have the required documents. Of the 19 lakh people, 12 lakh were Hindus. If the same exercise is continued elsewhere, the majority of the people of this country cannot prove their citizenship. It will lead to a huge turmoil in the country. The controversial Act has met with sharp criticisms, condemnation and opposition and protests throughout the country. If the Union government continues to ignore the resistance, it will lead to civil unrest. The Union government should immediately initiate the process for repealing the controversial Act,” he said.
The former Minister Sharan Prakash Patil, District Congress Committee president Jagadev Guttedar, legislator Tippannappa Kamaknur and others were present.
