Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP)
Kundapur, Jan 4: "The state government need not boast about council elections. It is an election confined to limited number of voters. Congress won by luring the voters. The important election is the one in which the people vote based on the party symbol," said Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje.
Lambasting the Congress-led state governement in a press meet at Koteshwara Sharada Kalyana Mantapa here on Monday January 4, Shobha Karandlaje said, "The Ksheera Bhagya, Anna Bhagya and Shaadi Bhagya schemes of the state government have failed. The state has not seen even 25 percent of the expected development. There is anguish everywhere, but the thick-skinned state government led by Siddaramaiah can neither see nor hear.
"The state government does not consider the opinions of the people. We have done our work as the opposition. But the government is unwilling to produce the statement of expenditure. Let the government produce white paper before the next budget," she demanded.
She further said, "The state government has issued a notification that it will cut 25 percent from the funds given to the gram panchayats by the union government to pay the panchayats' electricity bills. It is not using the central government funds for the right purpose. On top of that, rural development minister has claimed that an amount of Rs 3,650 crore of the union government has been misused. The money set aside for development has been released using forged documents. I have spoken about it to several district deputy commissioners. The union government has been releasing money for gram panchayat development; it is not right for the state government to use that money to pay electricity bills."
Elaborating on BJP's preparations for the upcoming zilla and taluk panchayat polls, she said, "The state council elections have just got over and dates of the zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat elections will be announced this week. The elections process will be over before February 15. BJP has already issued official notification. The process of visiting every constituency, preparing a list of aspiring candidates and unanimously selecting candidates out of them has started. BJP taluk and district units are jointly conducting the selection process in a democratic way.
"BJP is prepared for zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat elections. Our local groups and representatives have together made Kota Srinivasa Poojary win in Legislative Council elections. BJP will win the taluk and zilla panchayat elections in the same way," she said.
"We have already started touring every constituency. As the zilla panchayat president is given the status of minister, the number of candidates has increased, with a large general category. It is an indication of a good democracy and democratic process," she added.
Moving on to other issues, she said, "The work on doubling of Konkan railways tracks has begun on the demand of the locals. The extension work on Madgaon-Mumbai railway track till Mangaluru has started. Railway development training centers will be set up in three places."
On collection of toll on incomplete highways, she said, "It is not fair to collect toll before the completion of work. I will bring this to the notice of department concerned. The Kundapur-Karwar national highway road work is progressing at a brisk pace."
MLC Kota Srinivasa Poojary, district BJP president Thingale Vikramarjuna Hegde, district BJP vice-president Kiran Kodgi, Kundapur constituency BJP president Rajesh Kavery, Ravindra Dodmane and others were present.