From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jan 11: Lashing out at the Siddaramaiah regime for conferring Cabinet rank status to Congress workers heading the State Government’s Guarantee Implementation Committees at a cost of Rs 150 crore, BJP Opposition leader in the Assembly R Ashok demanded that farmers should be given compensation for drought relief.

Addressing the media in Bengaluru on Thursday, the BJP leader said: “The Government has no money to distribute to farmers while it has Rs 150 crore to ensure that the Congress workers enjoy by eating biriyani meals.’’

Ashok said the State Government has released Rs 105 crore towards release of compensation to the farmers, who should have got Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 crore. But the government is ready to spend Rs 25 crore to the Congress workers in the guarantee panels, which amounts to Rs 150 crore in 5 years.

The Congress workers heading the guarantee panels are being given cabinet rank status, he said and wanted to know when the farmers will get cabinet rank status.

The BJP leader said the government has no money for the cleanliness of the toilets in schools but has money for party workers. Officials should and can be used for monitoring guarantee implementation and the software glitches must be rectified.

He repeated his charge that some Congress leaders had claimed in the court that Ram was fictitious and now the party leadership has decided to keep off the Ram consecration ceremony. It is good that they don’t attend the ceremony as Congress leaders had opposed L K Advani’s Rath Yatra.

He later called on the striking contract teachers in BBMP and supported their demand for direct payment.

Ashok contended that everybody has the right to protest and hold demonstrations and condemned the police for preventing the protesters.