Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has urged the State government to pay attention to serious issues of providing relief to the flood-hit and the grim financial position of the State.
Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, said the flood-hit people had not been given suitable relief even months after heavy rains. The Minister in charge of the flood-hit district had not bothered to address these issues. The Centre had not released the grants due to the State. He said that during his tenure, the Centre had allotted ₹900 crore meant for MGNREGA pending. Now, this had increased.
Furthermore, the State’s share in GST had been pending for two-three months. “The senior officers of the Finance Department are worried about preparing the budget for the coming year,”s he said.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had not been able to meet the PM to put the State’s demands forward. “When he and other Ministers went to meet the PM at Raj Bhavan, they were sent back. Even a month after the byelection, the CM has not got his party’s national president’s appointment to expand the Ccabinet. But he has been referred to as Raja-Huli,” he remarked.
Reacting to reports suggesting that he was retiring from politics, Mr. Kumaraswamy said, “I have my own contributions to the State and will remain in politics as long as people want me. I have been responding to serious issues. I was the first to visit Mangaluru, where two people had died in police firing,” he said.
Further, he added that he would not make any attempt to ouster the BJP government. “Often people ask me why I am not taking any steps to disturb the BJP government when 15-20 MLAs of the BJP are ready to quit the ruling party. I don’t want to be involved in such activities,” he said.
The former CM said he was committed to strengthening the party’s organisation. He would hold a series of meetings with party MLAs and other leaders after Sankranti.
Jesus Christ statue
Reacting to a question on the controversy over installing a statue of Jesus near Kanakapura, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he was not aware of the procedures followed while granting the land for the project. “The issue had not come to the Cabinet during my tenure. However, there is nothing wrong with having a statue. India is a land of many languages and many religions,” he said.
