Dr.Thomas (Special Correspondent)
F
ormer chief minister Basavaraj Bommai urged the Congress Government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to share information about the number of development projects announced in the State Budget in the last six months.
He told reporters here on Saturday that the present government completed six months in office and already the people were disenchanted with the government.
The Congress leaders were repeatedly taking the publicity from the guarantee schemes but in reality, those schemes have not reached them.
Instead of distributing 10 kg of rice under the ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme,they have failed to distribute five kg of rice allotted by the Government of India.
The ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme was being black-marketed. The inaction of the government to check this had given a feeling that the government was also involved in this scam.
He said the survey of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme had shown that only 35 percent of women had received Rs. 2000 in the first month but not in the coming months.
The government was playing with the ‘Gruha Lakshmi’. The incumbent government had utterly failed to ensure uninterrupted power supply to farmers.
While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said that an uninterrupted five hours of power would be supplied to farmers,hardly three hours of power was supplied to rural areas.But the Congress leaders were getting the publicity of the guarantee schemes in Telangana.
Borrowing increased
Bommai wanted the government to give a detailed report on the number of projects announced in the State Budget and implemented in the last six months in the Belagavi session which would begin in Belagavi on Monday.
Though Karnataka has been an economically strong state they have brought the state to such a state that it was unable to implement any new projects.
The current government took benefit of the economic progress achieved by the previous BJP Government and implemented five guarantee schemes.
As much as Rs.11,000 crore of SCP/TSP funds had been transferred for the implementation of guarantees. The state’s borrowing has increased.
The Reserve Bank of India had warned three states including Punjab and Rajasthan that have been caught in a debt trap and Karnataka must not be taken to that category.
Transfer scam unabated
The BJP leader said there had been corruption in every stage in the State and it was witnessed even in places where small and petty jobs were offered.The transfer scam has continued unabated.
The Congress leaders accused the previous BJP government of taking 40 percent commission but now the commission percentage has reached 50 percent.
A commission had been constituted to probe the charges of corruption and it must honestly inquire all the cases.
Insult to farmers
The former CM said the government has failed in drought management.Announcing Rs.1,000 to each farmer as drought relief was not only shameful but also a big insult to the farmers.
During the previous regime, the farmers had been given flood relief from the State funds and then got the money released from the Government of India.This has been the standard practice.
The state government must first distribute the funds available in NDRF funds without blaming the Government of India.
The Siddaramaiah Government had stopped Rs.4000 to every farmer under the ‘Kisan Samman’ scheme,diesel subsidies for farmers, and scholarships for the children of farmers under the ‘Vidyanidhi’ scheme.
The government must come to the aid of farmers when they were in distress failing which it was as good as a non-living government.
Ashok is capable
Asked about the selection of R Ashok as Leader of the Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly,he said Ashok had been elected as MLA for the seventh time and handled important portfolios like Home,transport, health, and revenue.
Besides,he had the experience of working as Deputy Chief Minister.He was quite capable and would show his capacity in the Assembly.
Replying to a question,Bommai said there were no internal problems in BJP.Vijayapura MLA Basangouda Patil had spoken about B.S.Yediyurappa many times but he had fought against the partisan attitude of the government. It had been decided that both BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) would fight jointly in the Belagavi session.
No operation
Reacting to Deputy Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar’s statement of ‘Operation Kamala’ before the announcement of results of the Assembly polls in five States,the former CM said the Congress Party started the Operation and it was Shivakumar who brought his party MLAs to Karnataka from Maharashtra to save the Vilas Rao Deshmukh government.
Now, the DyCM was making baseless charges against the BJP. If the newly-elected MLAs desert the party within 48 hours after the selection it shows how strong the Congress Party had been.
No national politics
On contesting in the coming Lok Sabha polls,Bommai categorically said that he would like to remain in state politics and has no idea of going to national politics. “I will serve the people being in state politics”.
To attend the session next week
Answering a question,the former CM said he underwent open-heart surgery six weeks ago.He had been meeting people as his health has improved.
On the advice of doctors,he would not attend the first week of the Belagavi session but would be present in the second week of the session.
