To Hide their Failure to tackle Drought in State, Congress pointing fingers at Centre – Kota Srinivas Poojary
Udupi: Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Kota Srinivas Poojary said on Saturday that Congress leaders in the State were unnecessarily pointing fingers at the Union government to hide their alleged failure and inability to tackle drought.
Srinivas Poojary told presspersons in Udupi on January 6, that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was talking about releasing Rs 324 crore to manage drought in the State. But 75% of that amount was received from the Union government while only 25% constituted the share of the State government. Now the State had suffered a loss of Rs 33,000 crore due to drought. As many as 42 lakh farmers have been affected.
“Siddaramaiah who presented the Budget with a total outlay of Rs 3.5 lakh crore is not in a position to release Rs 4,000 crore to tackle drought. If he can release that amount, then the leaders from the State can team up and urge the Union government to release more compensation,” Poojary said.
He also said that when B.S. Yediyurappa was the Chief Minister he managed the flood situation in the State effectively. He increased the compensation amount to be given to fully damaged houses in the calamity from Rs 95,000 to Rs 5 lakh. In addition, he released Rs 2,000 crore to tackle the flood situation without delay.
Poojary challenged Siddaramaiah to prove his claim of releasing Rs 2,000 each to the bank accounts of 42 lakh farmers because of drought.
Kota also alleged that Siddaramaiah had stopped the Deputy Commissioners and the Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Panchayats from attending the Viksit Bharath Sankalp Yatra in Karnataka by giving oral instructions which is not correct, he said.
