The Hindu                                            

Bangalore, Jan 12: State Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Kumaraswamy has dismissed Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s claims of achievements in 200 days of BJP governance as mere “repetitions” of schemes and projects started earlier.

Speaking to presspersons here on Sunday, he said that the BJP Government was taking credit for programmes not initiated by them.

The Stage-2 of the Varahi Hydroelectric Project in the Western Ghats, inaugurated by Mr. Yeddyurappa, was started when he was the Chief Minister, Mr. Kumaraswamy said. The BJP Government was laying the foundation stone for the Suvarna Soudha in Belgaum for the second time. The stone was first laid when he was Chief Minister, Mr. Kumaraswamy said.

Janapada Jaatre, launched by the JD(S)-BJP coalition government, was being used as “platform for political speeches” by Mr. Yeddyurappa, he charged.

“Even the promises made in the budget such as dole for unemployed youth have not been met,” he added.

Congress targeted

Kumaraswamy lashed out at Congress leaders for appealing to the Chief Minister not to indulge in “revenge politics”. The main Opposition party was “showing its weakness” by trying to strike a compromise rather than launch an agitation, he said.

He wanted the BJP Government to come out with the “whole truth” on mining and take up a survey to ascertain to what extent the State’s boundary had been altered by the miners. Honest forest officers were becoming victims of the “feudal politics” of the BJP and were forced keep mum on mining violations, he charged.

Poll preparations

In a bid to strengthen the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Janata Dal (Secular) has appointed three party observers in each of the districts. Mr. Kumaraswamy said that the observers would hold meetings at the panchayat level.

Kumaraswamy said that the party office-bearers would be announced by January 16. The list of at least 15 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls would be announced by the month-end. He said that he was “personally” inclined to continue in State politics and not contesting the elections, but would leave the decision to the party.

‘A ploy’

The Government’s decision to allow registration of revenue sites in and around Bangalore is a ploy to “generate funds” for the BJP for the Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Kumaraswamy charged.

He said that the decision to allow registration was taken in a hurry.

Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Shobha Karandlaje had announced on Friday that all illegal revenue sites, including houses constructed on them till December 31, 2008, would be regularised in the next six months. There are around five lakh unauthorised revenue sites in and around cities, including Bangalore.