Labour Minister and district-in-charge for Dharwad Santosh Lad has said that BJP trying to lure Opposition MLAs was not something new in state politics and the saffron party had purchased scores of MLAs using money and muscle power in the past ten years.
Speaking to presspersons in Dharwad on Saturday, Mr. Lad said that BJP had become a rich party now and had officially disclosed assets worth over ₹7,500 crore.
Mr. Lad said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund was set up and there was a huge flow of funds from across the country. According to reliable sources, the PM Relief Fund received not less than ₹30,000 crore as donation but unfortunately, the Centre did not construct even a single hospital, he alleged.
To a query on the reported rift between Women and Child Development Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar and Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, the Minister said that he knew Mr. Jarkiholi for the last 30 years and Satish was not a person who aired dissatisfaction in public. The issue had nothing to with politics, he said.
On bank notices to farmers on repayment of loans, Mr. Lad said that the State was facing one of the worst droughts in history and at such a time of distress, the banks should adopt a humanitarian approach and give some time for the farmers to recover from the blow.
The Minister said personally he was for loan waiver at such a time of crisis. However, it was the government which should take a decision on the issue by framing suitable guidelines to help the farmers, he said.
