Siddaramaiah govt failed to provide help to farmers: Yeddyurappa

Bangalore: BJP national Vice President BS Yeddyurappa today alleged that the Siddaramaiah government has completely failed in providing help to farmers affected by excessive rain in parts of the state.

“…when people are suffering because of excessive rain in the state, when crops have been damaged, houses have been damaged, and lives have been affected, neither ministers nor officials are reaching out to people in affected areas and helping them,” he told reporters.

In his first press conference after being appointed BJP national Vice President, he said there were no reports of District Collectors travelling to affected areas. The Chief Secretary had also not convened a meeting and tried to understand the ground realities.

“State government has completely failed in reaching out and providing help to farmers and agricultural labourers affected by excessive rain,” he added.

Yeddyurappa said the party’s state leadership has decided to travel to affected areas and he himself would go to Raichur, Yadgir, Gulbarga and Bijapur districts next week to acquaint himself with the ground situation and will submit a report to state government.

“…we will work as an effective opposition party in the state; we have decided to wake up this government that is in deep slumber.”

On the completion of hundred days of the Narendra Modi government, Yeddyurappa said, “there has been exceptional progress.”

“We can see clear change in our economic policies that are growth and development oriented… good times have begun, whatever has been initiated in these hundred days keeping progress in mind has been exceptional,” he said.

On the appointment of Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, an old trusted aide of Modi when he was Gujarat Chief Minister, he said BJP had no intention of using Governor’s office against the state government like it was done through then Governor HR Bhardwaj when Yeddyurappa was Chief Minister.

“Governor will work as per the Constitution. We will bring shortcomings of government to his notice at regular intervals,” the BJP leader said.

Yeddyurappa’s government had strained relations with Bhardwaj who was then seen as being at loggerheads with the opposition-ruled state.

Asked if BJP would petition the Governor against the government on the Arkavati de-notification issue, he said, “We have discussed it. A team has been set up to study it. Chief Minister has also constituted a commission of inquiry. The party will decide on the future course of action.”

BJP has alleged corruption pertaining to denotification of 541 acres in Arkavati Layout of the Bangalore Development Authority by the Chief Minister, who has ordered probe by a judicial commission.

PTI