The JD(S) on Sunday blamed the Congress for ignoring the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) when it was in power in the State and challenged the party for a public debate on the issue.

At a press conference in Bangalore, JD(S) spokesperson Y S V Datta posed 15 questions to the Congress while alleging that the party had repeatedly ignored the implementation of the project since 1963.

Datta alleged that it was the height of hypocrisy that the Congress had launched its padayatra “Congress Nadige Krishneya Kadege (Congress march towards Krishna valley)” to highlight the failure of the present government in expediting the pending irrigation projects.

“Successive Congress governments released only Rs 227 crore for the project between 1963 and 1983. But, once the Janata Dal came to power in 1994, it released Rs 1,970 crore for taking up various irrigation works in Upper Krishna basin. Moreover, once H D Deve Gowda became prime minister, he released Rs 8,000 crore for various irrigation projects in the State,” Datta said.

He blamed the Congress for resorting to a “political gimmick” by raising the issue. Datta said both the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP had not raised the project issue on the floor of the two houses of the legislature between 1989 and 1994.

Datta challenged Congress leaders to come forward for a public debate with him on the issue.