(Gabriel Vaz) Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jan 2: On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Karnataka on a two-day visit to the State on Thursday, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has accused the former of “neglecting” and meting out injustice to the State.

The KPCC took upon itself to attack the Prime Minister through the social media to question why he did not visit the State when floods, which according to the State’s BJP Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was the worst in the last several decades, destroyed crops more than Rs 1 lakh crore during the last monsoon.
 
“Why the Centre did not declare the flood-hit Karnataka as a national calamity?

Why interim relief was not given? Though the state government has given a report estimating the damage at Rs 35,000 crore, why you did sit quiet by releasing just Rs1,200 crore” the KPCC has tweeted.

The Congress party has demanded that the Centre to declare the situation in the state as “national calamity” owing to widespread damage to public and private properties.

It may be recalled that more than 100 taluks in 22 districts were badly affected due to floods last year, causing wide-spread destruction of crop loss, damages to infrastructure and houses.

The State Congress party has also questioned the Prime Minister for not conferring the “Bharata Ratna” on Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt of Tumakuru, who passed away last year, at the age of 111 years. 

“Why he (Modi) did not visit Tumakuru when Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt passed away” and sought to know “why the seer was not conferred with the Bharat Ratna yet.’’  

In fact, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written a letter to the Centre in this regard on Jan 24, 2018, seeking Bharat Rathna to the seer. 

Modi participated in a function at Siddaganga Mutt premises on Thursday and unveiled the memorial museum of Shivakumara Swami.

The Opposition Congress also hit out at the Centre asking “why it (Centre) has not released the state’s share of Goods and Service Tax amount, and MGNREGA funds to the State”.