The party is committed to maintain the status quo in the reservation facilities for backward classes.
He was speaking after inaugurating the campaign for ZP/TP polls organised by District Congress unit in Chamarajanagar.
Accusing that the BJP is spending crores of rupees which was amassed through rampant corruption, land grabbing and denotification scandals to get the party candidate elected, he said that BJP is the main opponent for Congress party in this panchayat polls.
Siddaramaiah said that State Government had implemented several programmes sponsored by central government such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) and had extended ambulance facility to villages. Even the Union Government had released ` 4600 crores for expedition of MNREGS and ` 200 crore for purchase of ambulance vans. The State Government is able to use ` 482 crores against the release of ` 4600 crore under MNREGS which shows its snail pace implementation of the programme.
Besides, the Union Government had also released thousands of crores for improvement of metropolitan cities such as Bangalore, Mysore under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. Inspite of all these funds, the State Government has failed to take up developmental works and is lying to people.
Urging the Chief Minister to come out with list of developmental works implemented in the state after he assumed power, Siddaramaiah said he would resign from politics if the BJP government had taken up any other major works other than MNREGS, JNNURM, purchase of 108 ambulance under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) other than these works. “The CM is not ready to come out with a list of development works”, he said in sarcastic tone. In his address, District Congress President and MLA H S Prasad said that CM has launching the inauguration of ZP,TP campaign from his native place Gundlupet instead of Chamarajanagar fearing defeat in panchayat polls.
On the occasion, former union minister M V Rajashekharan alleged that BJP attempting to divide the nation on communal lines which is detrimental to the secular fabric and federal set up.
Negligence
Launching a scathing attack on BJP government for negligence of the district, Member of Parliament R Dhruvanarayan charged that Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had not yet visited Chamarajanagar after he came to power. This indicates that Chief Minister giving importance to superstitions and blind beliefs by not visiting this jinxed city. He urged the district unit BJP leaders to make CM to hold function and meetings at the district head quarters if they were really committed for development.The district lagging behind in the implementation of development works, establishment of industries and education spheres. This government has not released ‘crores of rupees’ that the CM had promised to cities and towns. The District In-charge Ministers never held the district level progress review meeting.
MLAs C Puttarangashetty, R Narendra, V Srinivasprasad, former MP A Siddaraju, Congress leaders Rani Satish, Jayanna, Guruswamy, B M Muniraju and others were present.
Spellbound
Continuing his tirade against State Government, Siddaramaiah ridiculed the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa for promoting black magic, blind belief and providing money to the temples of neighbouring Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
“The CM strongly believes the Gods in Kerala and Tamil Nadu rather than Goddess Chuamundeshwari, Lord Mahadeshwara and Manjunatheshwara. He has funds to provide money to temples of other states but not ready to release money for supply of drinking water to devotees of Male Mahadeshwara hills,” he said.
Training guns towards Bellary Reddy brothers,he said that these persons were peddling cycles on the streets of Bellary couple of years back. Today, they were the mining barons worth ` 50,000 crore property amassed by illegal mining.
“Whoever does mining in Bellary district, it is mandatory that they provide ‘mamool’ to these Bellary Reddy brothers if they want to continue in business”, he added.
The Congress leader also made sarcastic remarks about the tainted ministers and former ministers in BJP Government such as H Halappa, M P Renukacharaya, Katta Subramanya Naidu, Krishnaiah Setty, Ramachandregowda and others. He also criticised State Unit BJP Chief K S Eshwarappa who claims to be the champion of backward classes for not raising objections even after injustice was meted out to backward.