aking serious exception to BJP national vice-president B.S. Yeddyurappa’s condemnation of the State government during his recent tour of Raichur, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee secretary, N.S. Boseraju, and B.V. Naik, MP, advised him to first speak to his party-led Union government and ensure substantial help for the development of the State.
They were addressing presspersons here on Sunday.
“He (Yeddyurappa) keeps on attacking the State government wherever he goes. But, he has never opened his mouth before his party’s national leaders and Ministers for seeking the Centre’s aid for Karnataka. When Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took an all-party delegation to the Prime Minister and sought special aid for handling drought, Mr. Yeddyurappa, who was in the delegation, did not speak a word before Narendra Modi,” Mr. Boseraju said.
The State government sought Rs. 3,500 crore and 1,500 MW of electricity, but not a single rupee nor a single MW was given by the Union government, he added.
Responding to Mr. Yeddyurappa’s repeated “criticisms and advice” to the Congress-led State government, Mr. Boseraju countered that the Congress was not in such a degenerate situation.
“People have not forgotten the fact that Mr. Yeddyurappa is the first Chief Minister in India who had to step down for going to jail,” he said.
Mr. Boseraju said that the State BJP leaders, before pointing fingers at the State government, should first pressure the Union government to waive farm loans at nationalised banks to save farmers in distress.
“Farm loans at nationalised banks account for over 75 per cent of the total farm loans. Only 25 per cent is at cooperative societies. If Union government waives loans at nationalised banks, it would be a great help to the farming community. The State government will also waive complete farm loans at cooperative societies,” he said.
B.V. Naik, MP, asked the State BJP leaders to introspect whether their Union government had actually helped farmers in the State. “The Union government did not offer any assistance for the deepening agrarian crisis. The State government disbursed compensation to farmers in distress. Raichur alone got Rs. 112 crore compensation this year,” he said.
He has never opened his
mouth before his party’s national leaders and Ministers
for seeking the Centre’s
aid for Karnataka
