All parties should oppose Kasturirangan report: Jeevijaya

Former minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader B A Jeevijaya on Monday urged all the political parties to reject the recommendations of Kasturirangan Committee on Western Ghats.

Addressing reporters here, Jeevijaya said the MP indulges in just lip service without coming forward to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar. The MP has been issuing statements against Kasturirangan report only for the sake of publicity, he charged.

Similar is the deigning attitude of the local MLAs who had promised to correct the anomalies in the report, for the convenience of farmers in the region, Jeevijaya said.

On the forthcoming general elections due to be held in 2018, Jeevijaya announced that he will contesting from Madikeri constituency on a JD(S) ticket. Both the party supremo H D Deve Gowda and state unit president H D Kumaraswamy have issued directions in this regard, he said.

On the speculations that he is inclined towards national parties like Congress and BJP, Jeevijaya denied any such possibilities.

He said there is a stifling atmosphere in Congress and only a regional party can ensure a stable government.

Alleging lack of commitment in politics today, he said the recent loan waiver for farmers announced by the government has failed to bring in relief among the community. In all, Rs 8,800 crore loan in the state has been exempted against the anticipated Rs 55,000 crore. he said.

He expressed confidence that JD(S) party, if voted to power under the leadership of Kumaraswamy, will definitely announce loan waiver for all farmers.

Jeevijaya said, “The JD(S) is firmly established in the district, with more number of workers from the two national parties expected to defect to the party soon in the coming days.”

Madikeri Block Congress president K M B Ganesh and his supporters will join the party soon, he said.