<p>Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday took a swipe at the Congress government for doing precious little in addressing the drinking water woes in more than 500 affected villages.</p>.<p>“Over 500 villages are reeling under severe shortage of drinking water. I have brought the issue to the notice of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah last week. The state has not received monsoon rains this week either. The state is staring at drought. The government should accord top priority to drinking water woes,” Bommai told reporters at Chabbi village in the taluk.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/top-karnataka-stories/free-rice-wont-accept-even-a-single-gram-less-says-b-s-yediyurappa-1228947.html" target="_blank">Free rice: Won't accept even a single gram less, says B S Yediyurappa</a></strong></p>.<p>“Merely holding a video conference with deputy commissioners won’t help. They should set up a task force in crisis-hit areas and take concrete steps to address the problem,” he said.</p>.<p>Replying to a query on the Anna Bhagya scheme, Bommai said, “The government should have made alternative arrangements to procure rice to be distributed among the scheme beneficiaries. It is not fair to blame the Union government. Discussions are underway at the government level on where to procure rice from and how to lift it. It is not right to put the onus on BJP to get the rice from the Centre. If the state government fails to provide rice to the BPL families on the July 1, we will stage a statewide protest,” Bommai warned.</p>.<p>When asked about the delay in appointing the leader of the Opposition, the former chief minister said, “The Opposition leader will be appointed before the start of the Assembly session.”</p>
<p>Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday took a swipe at the Congress government for doing precious little in addressing the drinking water woes in more than 500 affected villages.</p>.<p>“Over 500 villages are reeling under severe shortage of drinking water. I have brought the issue to the notice of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah last week. The state has not received monsoon rains this week either. The state is staring at drought. The government should accord top priority to drinking water woes,” Bommai told reporters at Chabbi village in the taluk.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/top-karnataka-stories/free-rice-wont-accept-even-a-single-gram-less-says-b-s-yediyurappa-1228947.html" target="_blank">Free rice: Won't accept even a single gram less, says B S Yediyurappa</a></strong></p>.<p>“Merely holding a video conference with deputy commissioners won’t help. They should set up a task force in crisis-hit areas and take concrete steps to address the problem,” he said.</p>.<p>Replying to a query on the Anna Bhagya scheme, Bommai said, “The government should have made alternative arrangements to procure rice to be distributed among the scheme beneficiaries. It is not fair to blame the Union government. Discussions are underway at the government level on where to procure rice from and how to lift it. It is not right to put the onus on BJP to get the rice from the Centre. If the state government fails to provide rice to the BPL families on the July 1, we will stage a statewide protest,” Bommai warned.</p>.<p>When asked about the delay in appointing the leader of the Opposition, the former chief minister said, “The Opposition leader will be appointed before the start of the Assembly session.”</p>
