HAVERI: Coming down heavily on the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said the fiscal condition of the state has deteriorated under the ruling Congress.
In a fierce attack on the Congress regime amid the severe water crisis in Bengaluru, the former CM said the best and biggest irrigation projects in the state were implemented during the previous BJP government.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the senior BJP leader, who was named as one of the party’s candidates from the state for the Lok Sabha elections, said, “The fiscal state of the Karnataka, which was strong during our government, has been rendered far worse under the present Congress regime. Our treasury is ringing hollow and the state doesn’t have a penny to release for drought management”.
Addressing an election rally near Makanur in Ranebennur taluk in Haveri on Thursday, the former CM said, “Some of the biggest irrigation projects in the state were implemented under the previous BJP government. Our former CM Yediyurappa also launched a special initiative for the upliftment and wellbeing of the oppressed sections in the state. It seems the Congress leaders are only trying to mitigate the drought and drinking water crises through meetings and empty platitudes”.
Responding to state minister Shivanand Patil’s statement that Bommai was left to fend for himself in the Lok Sabha elections, the former CM said he has been fighting all his elections by himself as he is more than capable of managing his campaign.
Claiming that the Congress has the appearance of a divided house going into the general elections, the BJP leader said, “At the Congress meeting on Wednesday, there were more people on the dais than in the hall. They were forced to project a show of strength, while, in reality, there is no unity in that party”.
On former CM Sadananda Gowda’s statement calling for ‘purification’ of the BJP’s Karnataka unit, Bommai said the former, who decided to retire from active politics and not contest the general elections, is a senior party member who articulated his views. “However, it (Gowda’s statement) would not impede his commitment to the BJP or take away from his affection for the party”, he said.
Also weighing in on senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa’s remark on the need to save the party from the ‘father-son duo’ (veiled reference to former CM Yediyurappa and his son and state president B Y Vijayendra), Bommai said the former made an ’emotional’ statement. “Our party leaders will soon hold talks with him. The party’s central parliamentary board meeting will be held where the second list of candidates would be released”, Bommai said.
Eashrappa hit out earlier after Bommai was named the BJP’s Lok Sabha pick from Haveri, claiming that he was promised that his son would be on the ticket to contest the seat.
Earlier, on March 13, the BJP released its second list of 72 Lok Sabha candidates, including three former chief ministers and four Union Ministers. In Karnataka, the party fielded Union Minister Pralhad Joshi from Dharwad, Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore South, Basavaraj Bommai from Haveri and P C Mohan from Bangalore Central. The BJP also named B S Yediyurappa’s son B Y Raghvendra from Shimoga and V Sommana from Tumkuru.
After this announcement Eshwarappa turned on his own party, saying, “BS Yediyurappa had promised that he would give the ticket to (his son) K E Kantesh from Haveri. So I sent Kantesh there to campaign. But today, my son didn’t get the ticket and Yediyurappa’s son did”. (ANI)