Bommai sounds bugle for MLC polls, kickstarts Jan Swaraj Yatra

By Vittal Shastri

Hubballi: With an eye on the forthcoming Council elections from the local bodies constituency, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday kickstarted the BJP’s Jan Swaraj Yatra in Koppal. While inaugurating the convention, he highlighted the irrigation projects implemented by him in Koppal district during his tenure as irrigation minister.

Lashing out at the Congress, he alleged that Opposition parties have failed to take up lift irrigation schemes and modernization of the Tunga right and left bank canals despite the BJP government sanctioning the projects.

He spoke of the initiatives launched since he became CM such as Vidyanidhi scholarship for children of farmers, hike in pension scheme for handicapped and the elderly. Asserting that the BJP government is committed to turn Karnataka into a safe and wealthy state, the CM alleged that the Congress is against the decentralization of power.

Lauding former CM late Ramakrishna Hegde for his efforts to decentralise power, he said the BJP is following in his footsteps by giving more power to gram panchayats. “Congress leaders are attacking us in their desperation for power. The Bitcoin scam happened when the Congress was in power and they tried to hide it. We have started a probe after coming to power. Everyone will be brought to book no matter which party he belongs to”, Bommai said.

Ridiculing the ‘Congress Nadige, Krishne Kadege (the Congress march towards Krishna), Bommai said that Opposition parties have been unfair to farmers of North Karnataka. The BJP government is committed to complete pending irrigation schemes including Mulawad, Chimmalagi and Singatalur, said the CM and promised that every tail-end farmer will get water supply. He also lauded former CM B.S. Yediyurappa for naming Hyderabad-Karnataka Kalyan Karnataka.

“Calling this region Hyderabad-Karnataka reminds us of the slavery people were subjected to when the Razakars attacked Kannadigas. But, Yediyurappa renamed the region Kalyan Karnataka in memory of the contribution made by social reformer, Basavanna. We have decided to allocate annual grants of Rs 3,000 crore for the development of the region which includes Koppal. We have conducted a survey to build a parallel barrage to Tungabhadra dam which is filled with around 30 tmc of silt.’’