JOIN USLegislators make use of hunger stir to interact with Deve Gowda
Although the party leaders had announced about the stir a week ago, there were not much supporters when Gowda arrived at 9.30 am. While some of the party activists took out a procession, led by city municipal president C R Shankar arrived, former MLA A T Ramaswamy reached the place after leading a bike rally.
By noon, hundreds of workers from all taluks gathered. All JD(S) MLAs, ZP and TP members and party workers assembled later. Deve Gowda said the development of the district has been purposely neglected. Although the legislators had written to chief minister B S Yeddyurappa over the issue no funds have been released. He accused the BJP government for following vengeance politics.
Arsikere MLA K M Shivalingegowda criticised Yeddyurappa for being a hurdle in the path of development of the district. Rampant corruption in the state has caused great humiliation for the state.
The CM has earmarked around 35 per cent of the funds in the state budget for Shikaripura and Shimoga and is doing injustice to Hassan, he blamed. Y S V Dutta said Kadur is also being neglected. Basavanagowda Patil Yatnal also spoke on the occasion.
All legislators of JD(S), MLC Patel Shivaram, H K Javaregowda, Madhu Bangarappa and others were present.
DC’s absence
Although information about the protest had been given earlier, deputy commissioner Jagadish was absent when Deve Gowda came to protest. The office staff said the DC had been to attend a meeting, there were talks that he had has been called to Bangalore as the JD(S) was holding a stir. The protestors were waiting with hope that he would return with an assurance from the government, but were disappointed.
Speaking to media later, the DC said he had been to attend a meeting on land acquisition on the Bangalore-Mangalore railway route and he did not meet the chief minister or the district-in-charge minister.
Deve Gowda usually does not spend more time with the legislators during his visit to the district. But the day-long-fast created an opportunity for the latter to hold political discussions with him.