From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Mysuru, Apr 2: On a day Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting Karnataka to campaign for the BJP-JD(S) combine in the Lok Sabha polls. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took potshots at the BJP leader, who is heading the inter- ministerial committee to decide on the drought relief funds, by asking him a pointed question: “Home Minister Amit Shah avare, what drives your visits to Karnataka - to support or to hinder the Kannadigas? Is it to preserve or disturb the peace, tranquillity and harmony of Karnataka?”
In a statement from Mysuru during his election campaign for the Congress party candidates in Mysuru and Chamarajanagara constituencies, Siddaramaiah, asked the Home Minister: “Aren’t you the reason for such a question to arise in the minds of Kannadigas every time you set foot in Karnataka?”
The chief minister informed the Home Minister that 223 taluks in the state have been officially declared drought-affected, with an estimated loss of around Rs 33,770 crore, as per state government assessment.
‘’Of this, we have raised a demand for a minimum compensation of Rs 17,901 crore from the Centre. For this, we wrote letter after letter, met with the prime minister as well as you, the chairman of the High Powered Committee for Drought Relief, but no compensation has been provided as yet. Why do you have such animosity towards Karnataka and Kannadigas?,” he asked.
Siddaramaiah reminded Amit Shah that he had “assured me last September that a meeting of the high-powered committee would be called within a week, but months have passed since then. You have neither called the meeting nor provided drought relief.”
“This injustice is not the first. In 2017, Karnataka faced a drought leading to an estimated loss of Rs 30,000 crore, yet the Centre provided only Rs1,435 crore in relief. In contrast, Maharashtra received Rs 8,195 crore and Gujarat Rs 3,894 crore in the same year. Even when the BJP was in power in Karnataka in 2019, no compensation was provided for the damages caused by excessive rainfall,” he said and wanted to know: “Are you offended by Kannadigas for never allowing the BJP to come to power on its own in the State?”
He pointed out that the pride of State’s coastal farmers, Vijaya Bank, was swallowed by the Bank of Baroda of Gujarat. The ports and airports built through the efforts of Congress leaders were taken over by Gujarat's businessman Adani. "Are you seeing Kannadigas as the enemies of Gujaratis?", he asked.
“Kannadigas haven't forgotten the attempt to merge our pride, KMF, with Gujarat's Amul. During the BJP's tenure in the state, weren't you the one who made Nandini products disappear from the market to glorify Amul products everywhere? When proud Kannadigas across Karnataka stood up to save Nandini, wasn’t it true that you had no choice but to abandon your ill intentions?” Siddaramaiah remarked.
The chief minister told the home minister that “before seeking votes in Karnataka, please respond to the questions of the Kannadigas. We do not oppose any language in the world, but we believe that Kannada should be given primacy in its own land. Despite sending the Kannada flag design to the Centre for approval six years ago, there has been no approval. Why do you oppose the Kannada flag? Please respond.”
He also stated that the Kannadigas have long demanded the inclusion of Kannada as a medium of instruction in recruitment exams for all Union Government-owned institutions, including nationalised banks and the Railway Department. Many young Kannadigas have been deprived of employment opportunities due to this lack of provision. Aren't you responsible for this situation?, he wondered.
"Why do you repeatedly impose Hindi on Kannadigas by falsely claiming it to be the national language? Has the Constitution ever declared Hindi as the national language? If so, in which section is it mentioned? Please clarify this to the Kannadigas," the chief minister said.
“You don't have the confidence to ask for votes based on the achievements of the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre. You also lack the guts to acknowledge your mistakes. You don't even have the decency not to spoil the peace and harmony of the society for political gain. A former MP from Mysuru has made an open statement that he is provoking riots as per your suggestion,’’ he said and asked: “Is this the reason behind the unrest and peace disruptions that follow your visits?”
“Amit Shah, I urge you not to commit injustices against Karnataka. Kindly refrain from deceiving the Kannadigas, avoid undermining the Kannada language, and do not disturb the state's peace and tranquillity. Seek votes by presenting your government's achievements to the people. This could at least bring a respectable defeat. Otherwise, if you resort to unfair means in the elections, the outcome of the previous Assembly Elections will surely be repeated in the Lok Sabha elections as well,’’ he warned.
The BJP government at the Centre has betrayed the Kannadigas by not giving their tax share. "Should people vote for the BJP who did not respond to the drought?" he asked.
The chief minister questioned as to what moral right does the Union Minister Amit Shah who did not come to the aid of the people of the state during drought, have to ask people of the state for votes. He asked whether people should vote for such BJP candidates.
Siddaramaiah told media persons in Mysuru that the people will teach BJP a lesson. "The state is not been given its share in the tax money of the state. But the former chief minister does not care about this and has become the spokesperson of BJP," he said.
“This attitude of the centre is a betrayal of the Kannadigas,” he said and warned that the people of the state will teach a lesson to this attitude of BJP.
Responding to Amit Shah’s election campaign in the state, Siddaramaiah said questioned as to whether permission has been given so far for Mekedatu and Mahadayi projects.
He assured that the government must exist if the pro-people projects and development works in the state are to continue. “I have convinced people that if BJP comes to power, they will stop pro-people schemes. I have convinced people that the projects will be stopped if BJP comes to power. The BJP is just lying. They are asking for votes based on the achievements of the Congress government and we are hopeful that the people will make the Congress party win,” he said.
Answering questions on the drinking water problems due to drought in the state, the chief minister said the media should not report on speculations. Action has been taken to ensure that drinking water does not become a problem in any part of the state.
Responding to MLA Janardhana Reddy's criticism of ministers Santosh Lad and Nagendra regarding the allegations of illegal mining, Siddaramaiah said if there is any evidence of illegal mining, let them go to court. "Due to reports that Janardhana Reddy was involved in illegal mining, I campaigned for action against him and took out a padayatra," he said clarifying that no such reports have come on these ministers.