Hitting back at the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his statement that the Yediyurappa-led government in the State will collapse after the by-elections, Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol said: “Let Mr. Siddaramaiah try and save his leaders and party workers instead of predicting the BJP’s political future.”
Addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi on Thursday, Mr. Karjol said that “when the leaders of his party [Congress] are in trouble, Mr. Siddaramaiah should at least realise that he was biting off more than he could chew by making such statements.”
Replying to the allegations made by Mr. Siddaramaiah that the BJP leaders were busy in campaigning in the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and have failed to help flood victims, Mr. Karjol said that the Centre has released Rs. 1,200 crore as interim relief from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) to Karnataka, and the State government is expecting additional support from the Centre. He also said that flood relief has been made into a political issue by the Congress leaders.
Replying to a query regarding the proposed ban on media coverage in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Karjol said that the Speaker has the power to impose such rules.
Responding to another question, the Deputy Chief Minister confirmed that the 85th Akhil Bharat Kannada Sahitya Sammelan scheduled to be held in Kalaburagi in December has been postponed to January 2020, due to by-polls in the 15 Assembly segments. It will not be possible to celebrate the literary event with grand fervour once the model code of conduct comes into effect, he added.
