KPCC Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao slams Nirmala Sitharaman for lashing out at Kodagu Dist Minister
Udupi: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “Nobody can say that the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s government betrayed the people”. He was speaking after launching the party’s manifesto for Udupi city municipal council elections at the Congress Bhavan on Saturday, August 25.
“The Siddaramaiah government has not only brought the maximum amount of investment to the State during its tenure but also implemented programmes for the welfare of Dalits, farmers and backward classes, among others, besides extending loan waiver to the farmers”.
He further said, “The BJP had made no contribution to social justice. The saffron party’s only agenda was to ‘communalise’ the minds of people through its ‘Hindutva’ politics”.
He also alleged that the opposition BJP is trying to woo the Congress MLAs to form its government in the state. BJP’s efforts won’t be successful in any condition. “Though it does not have the people’s mandate, BJP is hungry for power,” he added.
The cabinet expansion and appointment of chiefs to corporation and boards will be done after the urban local body elections. Taking BJP MPs to task, Gundu Rao said that they made no contribution to the state in the last four years. “They have also failed to resolve the Mahadayi and Cauvery water disputes and have done nothing to get relief from the union government during droughts in the state,” he alleged.
“The Congress party is concentrating on winning more seats in the ULB polls. The party is confident of winning the maximum number of seats in the forthcoming elections to the urban local bodies. “We would also win the maximum number of ULBs by virtue of massive developmental works executed during the last five years by the Siddaramaiah government,” he said.
Asked to comment on former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s reported statement that he desired to become Chief Minister again, Rao said such a desire was natural for every politician. The statement has nothing to do with the present coalition government, which would complete its five-year term as the Congress has given an undertaking to that effect. “We would follow the coalition dharma”, he said.
When asked about former chief minister BSY’s statement on MP Shobha Karandlaje again contesting from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha Constituency Gundu Rao said, “Shobha Karandlaje will never contest the second term from Udupi because she has not done anything for the development during her tenure of 5 years in the Udupi constituency as MP. Nowadays Shobha does not listen to the suggestions of BSY since he has already crossed 75 years”, he said.
Gundurao also said, “She is only fit to create communal tension. When Paresh Mesta died in Uttar Kannada, Shobha Karandlaje and Ananth Kumar Hegde demanded Mesta’s case to be given to the CBI. The State government handed over the case to CBI last December. Already 6 months have passed without any developments in the investigations. Why is Shobha silent now? Shobha is using every incident for political gain. Paresh Mesta’s case is a classic example in this regard”.
Commenting on Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who was caught on video losing her cool and lashing out at District Minister-In-Charge Sa Ra Mahesh, Gundu Rao said, “I am condemning the attitude of dominating our State minister. Till date, they have not released not even a rupee and I demand that the Centre should come out with a special package for the rehabilitation of Kodagu district”. He also condemned the manner in which Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had visited the affected areas in Kodagu without making any announcement about the relief the Centre would provide.
“As she had come as an emissary of the Prime Minister, she should have discussed with him before visiting the region and announced some relief package. She has a responsibility to the State as she was a local Member of Parliament. I condemn the step-motherly treatment by the Union government in releasing flood relief funds to Kodagu,” he said.
Former minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, Pramod Madhwaraj, MLCs Ivan D’Souza and Prathapchandra Shetty, District Congress president Janardhan Tonse, former MLA Gopal Poojary, KPCC secretary G A Bava, Veronica Cornelio, Congress leaders Prakyath Shetty, Harish Kini and others were present.