Mysuru: Describing B.S. Yediyurappa as the weakest Chief Minister the state had ever seen, former chief minister Siddaramaiah came down hard on him on Monday for failing to persuade the Centre to release funds for flood and drought relief works.
Speaking to reporters at Kollegal, he said Mr Yediyurappa should have taken a delegation of MPs and ministers to PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah to seek funds. “Instead, they were waiting for the PM to visit the state to discuss it. Our KPCC president had asked for an appointment to meet the PM during his visit to Bengaluru on September 7, but he did not get it,” he said.
Asked why the opposition was not pressuring the Prime Minister on the issue, he said, “Let Mr Yediyurapa resign, we will bring pressure. Mr Siddaramaiah is not the Chief Minister. If I was, I would have taken an all- party delegation to the Centre by now and made an issue (of the delay in release of funds). I took a delegation twice to the Prime Minister during drought when I was CM.”
On the BJP leaders' claim that they were waiting for the appointment of a leader of the opposition in the state assembly to take a delegation to the Centre, Mr Siddaramaiah snapped, "Why do they need an opposition leader? Why can't they take the CLP leader or Congress president or JD (S) president?"
Earlier, speaking to reporters in Mysuru in the morning, the Congress leader said he was not against learning Hindi or any other language voluntarily, but it could not be imposed on the people. “I oppose such a move,” he said.
