BJP feels sorry for Parameshwara

BJP spoke- sperson C T Ravi predicted that the Congress government in the State will be in trouble after the taluk panchayat and zilla panchayat elections which is the deadline set by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his Cabinet reshuffle.

Speaking in a media conference here on Friday, Ravi said after all the circus since the past three years, all that Parameshwara could manage is a berth in the Cabinet.

“His role in the victory of the Congress in the Assembly polls cannot be neglected. As expressed by him publicly, he was defeated in the election due to a conspiracy by his own partymen. So, he was denied the chief minister’s post, but his demand for at least the deputy chief minister’s post has not been fulfilled. Despite repeated demands for a Dalit chief minister, he has been neglected. We feel sorry for him,” he said.

Ravi said dissent is already brewing in the Congress due to the Cabinet expansion as senior leaders were expecting a reshuffling and berths for the deserving MLAs. “Leaders like Malikayya Guttedar, Basavaraj Rayareddy and K B Koliwad have expressed their unhappiness openly. If the deserving leaders, especially the old Congress members, are neglected again,the government will be in a crisis  after January,” he said.

Ravi advised Siddaramaiah to concentrate on work at least now that the Cabinet has been expanded.

“The power scenario is pathetic. Due to errant power supply, rural areas are facing drinking water crisis. Even though 135 taluks in the State have been declared drought-hit, no relief works have been taken up anywhere. The reduction of rice quota for ration cards at a time when people are reeling under drought is a blow to the poor. Farmer suicides are continuing despite the chief minister’s appeals, which reflects that the people do not have faith in the government,” he said.

Pointing at the problems of dairy farmers, he said the milk unions have not been paying the bills to the suppliers.

“Arrears to farmers are mounting. Even the government’s incentive to the milk suppliers is yet to reach the beneficiaries. Besides, the unions have been cheating the suppliers under the guise of SNF tests,” he said.

MP Prathap Simha, district (city) president E Maruthi Rao Pawar, district (rural) president Hemanth Kumar Gowda, ex-MLC Siddaraju, MLC candidate M V Ravishnakar and others were present.
Ravi said it is unfortunate that the chief minister’s district has been relegated to the 12 place in the human development report submitted by his own government agencies in the State.

He said if this is the plight of the chief minister’s home district, imagine the condition in other districts.

Referring to the comments of MLC V S Ugrappa, who heads an experts committee for controlling atrocities on women and children that there is no coordination between various departments in Mysuru district to provide security to women and children, Ravi said neither the chief minister nor the district in-charge minister monitor the functioning of the district administration.

He alleged a breakdown in the law and order situation and pointed at the custodial death of an accused villager at Hunsur rural police station on Thursday.