Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengalur, Jun 8: "The state government is anti-people and anti-farmer. It is involved with running tanker business," said Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje.

Shobha pointed out that the state had declared 156 taluks as drought-hit and accused the government of failing to provide enough grant for drinking water project, duly adding that the grant currently given is woefully inadequate. "Udupi is getting water once in seven days. Still, the government has not made arrangements to supply drinking water even by tankers. All over the state, there is a clamour for drinking water. The government is not even concerned about providing clean drinking water to its citizens," she scoffed.

Karandlaje said that the government has failed to stop large scale of migration of villagers in north Karnataka. "Water sources including reservoirs and ponds have dried up. The government has miserably failed in handling drought. During its ten years of rule, the UPA government had given Rs 4,822 crore as drought relief grant. But Modi government, within five years of rising to power, gave grants worth Rs 7,170 crore for drought management. But the state government has not made proper use of this grant," she claimed.

Shobha hit out at the government for failing to execute the plan to rebuilt Kodagu, devastated by last year's instant floods. She accused Kumaraswamy of not paying any attention to Kodagu district. She demanded from the state government accounts for the money sanctioned under National Disaster Relief Fund and State Disaster Relief Fund.

Shobha said she feels that the chief minister would never have collected information about development achieved by villages which he visited under his much-touted 'village stay' programme. She noted that Kumaraswamy has now been saying that he would begin to stay in government schools. She ridiculed Kumaraswamy by asking him which schools would he prefer - English or Kannada.