Invoking Kannada pride, Siddaramaiah attacks Modi over drought relief

Bengaluru: In a fresh offensive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday asked whether the union government is taking “revenge” on Karnataka.

In a series of tweets, Siddaramaiah posed questions to Modi and BJP, which he said were from “self-respecting Kannadigas”.

Siddaramaiah pointed out that 216 taluks in Karnataka are drought-hit. "So far, not even a single paisa of compensation has been released by the Centre. Modi...why is your big heart that beats for the suffering and sorrow of the world so harsh towards Kannadigas?” Siddaramaiah said.

“Is the BJP government led by you taking revenge on Karnataka? This is not just my question, but the question of six-and-a-half crore self respecting Kannadigas,” Siddaramaiah said.

This is not the first time Siddaramaiah is raking up the ‘Kannada identity’ to counter the BJP’s nationalist agenda. During his first term, Siddaramaiah used issues such as Kannada primacy and the state flag to attack the union government.

“It is time to recollect the threats posed by BJP leaders to Kannadigas during the elections, the result of which we are seeing now. Why are the BJP MPs & Union Government ministers silent over extending drought relief to Karnataka? Is it because of their hate towards Kannadigas?” Siddaramaiah said.

In 2017, Karnataka suffered drought-related losses to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore against which the union government gave the state Rs 1,435 crore, the CM said, adding that BJP-ruled Maharashtra got Rs 8,195 crore, Gujarat Rs 3,894 crore and Rajasthan Rs 2,153 crore. “It's high time to ensure justice for Karnataka,” he said, adding that the the "neglect is evident".

Siddaramaiah argued that Karnataka was "overlooked" by PM Modi even when the BJP was in power here. "It was the same even under the BJP's so-called 'double engine' government. In 2019, Karnataka faced catastrophic floods, resulting in a staggering Rs 50,000 cr in damages. Rs 35,000 cr relief funds were requested from the centre, but was granted only a mere Rs 1,869 cr. The question remains: Why the disparity, regardless of the government in power?” Siddaramaiah said.

Siddaramaiah marked his tweets with the hashtag ‘#WhyNoLoveForKarnataka?’.