Bangalore: Flood Relief - Kumaraswami Critical of BJP, Congress

Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Oct 10: Former state Chief Minister and JDS president, H D Kumaraswami, has asked Chief Minister Yeddyurappa make public full details of the relief funds received by the government and how they are spent. Speaking at a press conference here on Friday October 9, he alleged that union home minister Chidambaram and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had not conducted the aerial survey of affected areas in the state.

Explaining further, Kumaraswami said that Sonia Gandhi and Chidambaram, who flew through every nook and corner of the flood-affected regions of Andhra Pradesh and surveyed the losses, did not conduct any survey of losses in Karnataka. "They touched down at Bellary just for refuelling their aircraft," he commented.

"Since long, successive governments at the centre have meted out step-motherly treatment to Karnataka. Both the BJP and the Congress, when in power, neglected the state. The Prime Minister, who is expected to undertake aerial survey of the affected areas in the state on Saturday October 10, has earmarked just half an hour for this work. Anybody can guess to what extent he would be able to undertake the survey within half an hour. Only those who have fixed his programme have to explain as to how he will survey the damages in 16 districts of the state in such a short time," he ridiculed.

He also demanded that the promises the Prime Minister would be making after the survey, should be given effect to, without allowing them to remain as empty promises.