Floods: Cong mounts pressure on Centre, warns protest

The Congress has warned of protests across the state if the Modi administration failed to announce immediate financial assistance to the flood-hit regions in the next two days.

“Our demand is that the Centre should announce Rs 5,000 crore in aid,” Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao told reporters. “We expected that the Union Cabinet would make some announcement on Tuesday, but there was nothing. We are disappointed. Why isn’t the Centre taking a stand?,” he said.

“We’ve been wanting to protest, but given the prevailing situation, we want to first help people affected by the floods. But if there’s no decision by the Centre in the next two days, it’ll be inevitable for us to protest,” Rao said.

Rao pointed out that during the UPA regime, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced a relief package of Rs 1,600 crore to Karnataka soon after he surveyed the flood-hit areas. “Union Home Minister Amit Shah did an aerial survey, but left without saying anything,” he said.

Rao also announced five Congress teams headed by senior leaders to monitor the flood-affected areas: R V Deshpande (Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga), H C Mahadevappa (Mysuru and Kodagu), B L Shankar (Hassan and Chikmagalur), Ramanath Rai (Udupi-Mangaluru) and V S Ugrappa (Ballari and Koppal).

I’m with you, HDD tells BSY

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has assured Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa of full cooperation from him and the JD(S) in the government’s effort to rebuild the lives of those affected by floods.

In a letter to Yediyurappa, the JD(S) patriarch wished the government success. “I’ve learnt that you are touring the affected areas alone... managing a disaster of such a magnitude is difficult and there may be some errors and omissions," he stated. “Rushing to the help of those affected is the duty of every Kannadiga.”