Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (MS)

New Delhi, Aug 4: The venue of the meeting of MPs from the state was shifted to Karnataka Bhavan instead of the proposed five-star hotel by chief minister B S Yediyurappa due to the criticism by the opposition party members.

The revised communication sent by the chief minister says that the venue of the meeting on August 6 is changed from the proposed The Leela Palace Hotel to Karnataka Bhavan (Cauvery) at Kautilya Marg of Chanakyapuri in the national capital.

The opposition parties vehemently opposed the plan of Yediyurappa to hold the meeting at a five-star hotel when the state is facing drought and floods.

In the meeting, the CM is expected to ask the parliamentarians of the state from both Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha to put pressure on the central government to release more grant for the state to fight the worsening flood and drought situations as more than 100 taluks are declared as drought-hit areas. In addition, the CM is also expected to discuss the projects that are pending.

The expenditure of the two-hour meeting and dinner for MPs, their assistants and the employees Karnataka Bhavan is expected to cost around Rs 25 lac. The CM is being questioned for this huge expenditure also by the opposition parties.

Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress party, K C Ramamurthy and Prajwal Revanna, MP from Hassan were at the forefront of urging the chief minister to relocate the venue from The Leela Palace Hotel to Karnataka Bhavan to minimize the expenditure.

Prajwal Revanna questioned the motive of the government in holding the meeting in a five-star hotel and said, "There is severe drought as well flood in the state. Moreover, the government is trying to mobilize funds to waive off the farmer loans. In the midst of these difficulties, what is the need to hold the meeting in a luxury hotel?"