'Centre made Governors its puppets to trouble non-BJP state govts': Mallikarjun Kharge

Hubballi: Charging that the BJP-led Union government has made even the Governors as their puppets to trouble non-BJP state governments, All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the prime minister's office and the Union home minister's office are giving instructions like not to read the speech drafted by the government, directly to the Governors.

Kharge's remarks came two days after Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot read only three lines from the 122 paragraphs of the customary speech prepared by the government and left the Legislature's joint session in haste.

"Governors get instructions, like not to read government-drafted speech, directly from prime minister's office and Union home minister's office to the Governors. Bills are also sent back (by Governors). This is done not just here, but also in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Governors are troubling Congress or non-BJP governments. If asked, the Governors say they have direction from the top," he said.

Kharge was addressing a massive gathering at the programme to inaugurate 42,345 houses constructed by the Karnataka Slum Development Board across the state, under chief minister's special grants and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Observing that the Congress when in power brought rights-based laws while Modi government brought rights-suppression laws, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha charged that the BJP government is trying to scrap programmes for the poor, which were formulated as per the directives of state police in the Constitution. By replacing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with VB-G RAM G-Act, it is trying to derail the rural employment guarantee scheme and push the working class into slavery, he charged.

Asking the people to be united and vote against BJP in all coming elections, Kharge stated that the country would experience a situation like that under the rule of Hitler, Mussolini and Saddam Hussein if the BJP is not made to step down from power.

'Govt not bankrupt'

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that his government has not gone bankrupt, but BJP leaders are spreading false information by claiming so. Rs 1.16 lakh crore has been spent for guarantee schemes in last two-and-a-half years, while development works worth thousands of crores of rupees are taken up by different departments, he said.

He also challenged that the state government would start the works to implement Mahadayi and Upper Krishna Project tomorrow itself if the Union government's departments concerned accord the pending approvals.

Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, ministers B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, H K Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, H C Mahadevappa, M C Sudhakar and others were present.