‘Pratap Simha did not respond to people's woes’

MLC Veena Achaiah alleged that the incumbent MP Pratap Simha did not respond to the woes of the people of Kodagu in the last five years.

“Hence, the people should vote for coalition candidate C H Vijayashankar,” she stressed.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the MLC said, “Simha was unavailable for the residents in the last five years. Now, through advertisements, he has been claiming credit for the works carried out in the district. He has been projecting the works initiated by the previous Congress government as his own and trying to mislead the voters.”

She also alleged that the BJP is seeking votes in the name of Modi rather than the candidate.

“The people in the district are in favour of Vijayshankar and I am confident that the latter will work for the development of the district,” she added.

Achaiah accused Simha of being responsible for the implementation of the Kasturirangan Report on the conservation of the Western Ghats.

“The pepper growers, who had paid premium under the Fasal Bima Yojana, did not get the insurance amount. The farmers were misled by the NDA government through its false promises,” she alleged.

The legislator also said that owing to the smuggling of poor quality pepper, the price of the product has been slashed from Rs 750 a kg to Rs 350 a kg.

“Simha, however, did not come to the rescue of the pepper growers by making an effort to check the import of pepper,” Achaiah pointed out.

“Simha had visited the landslide affected areas once only and failed to get a special grant for the natural calamity victims of Kodagu. The Centre had released the amount to Karnataka as per the NDRF guidelines. Even Defence Minister Nirmala Seetharaman’s promise of Rs 500 crore has not reached the natural calamity and flood victims of Kodagu,” she said.

Gonikoppa APMC nominated member Bopanna said, “The BJP has been seeking votes by keeping forth the Modi and Hindutva ideology.”