Bengaluru, Oct 10 (DHNS): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has been criticised by a section of the Congress for not doing enough to solve the agrarian crisis, has squarely blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for farmer suicides and the Kalasa-Banduri project.

Addressing the Gram Swaraj Samavesh organised by the Congress at the Palace Grounds here on Friday, he accused Modi of being “anti-farmer” and said the Centre hadn’t given a single paisa as relief to Karnataka’s drought-hit farmers.

He said that though an all-party delegation from Karnataka had sought Rs 3,800-crore financial assistance from the prime minister, he didn’t give a single paisa. He also accused the BJP and the prime minister of “politicising” the Mahadayi river water-sharing dispute. “Modi said exactly what the State BJP leaders had been saying on the issue when an all-party delegation met him. I suspect BJP leaders from Karnataka tutored him (Modi) in advance,” he stated, adding the inter-state river water dispute could be resolved amicably if the prime minister intervened.

Siddaramaiah also said the Congress president Sonia Gandhi had taken the initiative to solve all issues pertaining to the Telugu Ganga project. Taking on the BJP for taking out the ‘Raita Chaitanya Yatra’, the chief minister said it was nothing but “misleading” farmers. “The BJP is known for spreading lies. Its leaders are trained to lie in public. The BJP has been criticising Rahul Gandhi for not visiting farmers’ families in the State. But no Union minister from the State has bothered to visit any farmers,” he added. The chief minister also said the Cabinet would soon discuss the K R Ramesh Kumar committee report on bringing reforms in panchayat bodies and take an appropriate decision.

Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, said the credit for stalling amendments to the 2013 land acquisition Act in parliament should go to Rahul Gandhi.

Modi indirectly inciting communal violence, says Rahul

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi held the BJP “directly responsible” for the Dadri lynching and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “indirectly inciting” communal violence.

Addressing gram panchayat members at the Gram Swaraj Samavesh, Gandhi said the BJP was “polarising” the country by making Hindus and Muslims fight each other. BJP leaders “incite” violence wherever there are elections and they are doing it everywhere in the country, he said.

Gandhi took a swipe at the prime minister’s call for maintaining communal harmony and noted that Modi had a similar history. “The prime minister says there should be no violence. But who is making that happen? Their own people are inciting violence. BJP people are doing it. And you also know the prime minister’s past... He says there should be no violence. What does it mean,” he demanded, in an oblique reference to the anti-Muslim pogrom of 2012.

The Congress vice president also criticised the prime minister for “unfairly” treating farmers from Karnataka as if they didn’t belong to this country. “The prime minister recently announced a special package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore for poll-bound Bihar, but he hasn’t bothered to speak a word about distressed farmers in the country. The Centre has completely ignored the farming community. Modi has time for globetrotting, but no time to visit a single farmer who is in distress,” he said.

Gandhi reiterated that the NDA government was a ‘suit boot ki sarkar’ and charged Modi with trying to “steal” farmers’ land by amending the 2013 land acquisition Act to favour industrialists. “He (Modi) thinks this country can be run from the prime minister’s office and with the help of bureaucrats. But the country cannot be run that way. Pradhans, MLAs and MPs have to do it... But even MPs of the ruling party and ministers do not have any say in the Modi government,” he suggested.

Rahul said he has discussed about the farmers’ woes with the chief minister and his colleagues. 

The chief minister will be announcing certain new initiatives for the welfare of farmers at a public meeting on Saturday, he added.

Rahul also said he has asked the chief minister to take steps to implement the Ramesh Kumar committee report on brining reforms in panchayat bodies. 

CM under pressure

Sddaramaiah was learnt to be under pressure from 'loyal' State Congress leaders to announce sops to the farmers during Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's visit to the State. However, the Chief Minister was unwilling to take an additional financial burden as he had recently announced the waiver of interest on cooperative loans. Sources said the loyal leaders managed to persuade Rahul Gandhi on the need for announcing new measures. So the Congress Vice President directed Siddaramaiah to work out a package and announce it in Haveri on Saturday