From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Nov 18: Why only the assembly constituencies held by Congress leaders declared as drought-hit by the Siddaramaiah regime, asked JD(S) leader and former minister H D Revanna.

The JD(S) leader wondered if the chief minister Siddaramaiah was more interested in helping the Congress MLAs to ''siphon off” of the funds meant for drought relief works.

Revanna asked the chief minister and revenue minister V Srinivas Prasad to explain if there was any politics behind declaring 64 out of the 176 taluks in the State as drought-hit rather than the desire to help the farmers and people of the drought-affected regions.

''Everybody knows that several parts of Karnataka suffered due to deficiency in the rainfall during the 2013 south-west monsoon. But what is difficult to understand why majority of the constituencies held by Congress MLAs are declared drought affected,” he said.

''Either the intention is to help the Congress MLAs to siphon off the money meant for drought relief works or is it because of the bad luck of the people for electing Congresssmen,” he asked.

It is not just the assembly constituencies represented by JD(S) but even those of BJP MLAs have been totally neglected, Revanna said.

Though the Deputy Commissioner of the Hassan district has recommended to the government to declare Channarayapatna and
Arasikere taluks as drought-hit, the Congress government declared Belur and Arakagud taluks as drought-hit, he said.

Both Belur and Arkalgud taluks, which had been declared drought hit, received heavy rainfall during the last monsoon, the JD(S) leader claimed.

Noting that the Congress government has been showing undue favousr to constituencies represented by its MLAs, Revanna alleged that all development works have come to a halt in the State owing to lack of commitment and shortage of funds.

Bills of contractors worth Rs 2,000 crore were not cleared by the Public Works Department for the last six months, he alleged.