Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday led a protest against Prime Minister Narendra and Union Minister for Home Amit Shah accusing them of overlooking Karnataka’s interest in release of drought-relief and raised the slogan "Go Back Modi” and "Go Back Amit Shah’ stating that they have no moral right to seek votes in Karnataka.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by Ministers-Ramalinga Reddy, Krishna Byre Gowda, N.S. Boseraju and K.J. George among others leaders of the Congress party and the protests against Modi and Shah was staged in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue in Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru holding placards.
After the protest, Siddaramaiah accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of remembering Karnataka only during elections to seek votes and pointed out that Modi did not visit Karnataka in times of floods when B.S. Yediyurappa of the Bharatiya Janata Party was running the government in the State. Now, the State is hit by severe drought which has not witnessed such a severe drought in about 100 years but Modi did not visit the State to assess the condition over here.
“Let Amit Shah visit the State after release of Rs 18, 172 crore towards drought relief,” said Chief Minister and criticized “With what face he comes to the State seeking voters (after meting out injustice to the State)?”
Apart from drought relief, the Chief Minister said, the State Government had asked for Rs 3,000 crore towards peripheral ring road construction in Bengaluru city and also sought funds to develop lakes in Bengaluru but nothing substantial happened so far.
“It has been a legitimate demand of the State,” said the Chief Minister and held Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister for Home Amit Shah and Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitaraman responsible for not granting funds to Karnataka and accused them of having no moral right to stay in their respective posts.
Siddaramaiah said the State Government has handled the drought situation in Karnataka effectively and addressed drinking water problems, fodder issue, checked migration of people among others and the State Government also has paid drought relief first installment to the affected farmers of the State.
