‘Elder statesman’ B.S. Yeddyurappa had several of his partymen squirming around in their plushy seats at the Assembly hall on Monday as he lambasted the 10-day old BJP government for not doing enough to tackle the severe drought that has gripped Karnataka. His ire was particularly directed at the rural development and panchayat raj department, handled by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar in the previous Sadananda Gowda government, which made many wonder if the bonhomie between the two Lingayat strongmen was over.
Taking the government to task for its lack of sensitivity while responding to the drought, BSY urged the state government to earmark Rs 10,000 crore for drought relief programmes in the next three months. He felt there was no point in blaming the Centre all the time for not providing enough funds. Instead, the state should focus on implementing existing schemes setting aside plans for new ones, he said. There is an overwhelming feeling among people that the government is not responding to their problems. Rs Rs Due to the political situation in the last four months, the government could not concentrate on drought relief work. We should have a clear perspective on drought relief in this budget as general elections may happen before the next budget. Even if the budget is presented in time, the government will not be able to help farmers due to the election code of conduct,’’ he said.
The former chief minister did not spare BJP legislators either saying they were hardly seen in their constituencies. “District in-charge ministers have become so busy that they have forgotten to hold meetings of officials and legislators. Officials have become indifferent and are waiting for the next elections. I wonder if that Vice Chancellor (of University of Agricultural Sciences), who had to collect fodder is alive or dead,’’ he quipped.