No party can suppress Congress: Dr G Parameshwar

Belagavi: Slamming the BJP for claiming that it would make the country ‘Congress-free’, KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar on Sunday wondered what had happened in the Delhi and Bihar assembly polls which the BJP lost and the Gujarat panchayat polls where the party again suffered a loss.

 

Addressing a Congress convention in Belagavi related to the coming Council election, Dr Parameshwar said it was impossible for any party to suppress the Congress. He also took potshots at the saffron party’s development mantra. “After 19 months in power at the Centre, the BJP has not implemented a single pro-people developmental project,'' he alleged. He  accused the BJP government at the Centre of halting funds to stop implementation of the National Rural Employment and Guarantee Scheme (NAREGA), a project which promised work to all poor sections. The Centre has not released Rs 1,500 crore funds required by the state to pay bills under NAREGA, he said.

 

The Centre was unwilling to respond to some of the major problems faced by the state. “When I asked Home Minister Rajnath Singh at a programme in Vijayawada recently on why funds are not being released for implementation of NAREGA and construction of toilets for women in rural areas of Karnataka, the former did not utter even a word. He did not show any concern for the grave problems we are facing in the state,” said the home minister. An appeal made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for release of Rs 3800 crore funds by the Centre had fallen on deaf ears. The state was facing a severe drought in 14 districts with the water crisis expected to worsen, he said. He criticized former CM Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa saying he was misleading people by falsely stating that the Centre had released funds for drought-relief work.  Referring to the Council polls, the KPCC chief said the Congress party would win more seats this time.