Farmer suicides: Yeddyurappa flays CM

BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa on Friday hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stating that he has failed to come to the rescue of distressed farmers and also to mobilise resources for development works of the State.

He said Siddaramaiah, who is also the Finance minister, should come out with a white paper on the State’s finances as development works have come to a standstill.

Interacting with reporters in Bengaluru, the BJP MP said that in the last year, more than a 1,000 farmers have committed suicide. Major reservoirs are empty and there is severe paucity of drinking water, as well as shortage of fodder for livestock. Migration of labourers have begun.

The chief minister, instead of being responsive to these problems, is in deep slumber, he ridiculed.

Yeddyurappa said as many as nine states have been facing severe drought. Despite this, the Centre on a priority basis, has released Rs 1,540 crore as drought relief to Karnataka. Still, the State government has not released money to the farmers in distress, he accused.

Siddaramaiah should be reviewing development programmes on a monthly basis. He claims his government is pro-Ahinda but not even 40 per cent of the funds meant for SC/ST development have been spent.

“Can this be called Ahinda government?,” he asked. When asked who would be fielded from the Hebbal Assembly constituency for the by-election, Yeddyurappa said no decision has been taken on fielding late MLA R Jagadish Kumar’s wife as the candidate.