DHARWAD: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched a scathing attack on BJP leaders during the ‘Sadhana Samavesha’ here on Monday.
Enthused by the presence of a huge crowed at a ground on the UAS campus, Siddaramaiah during his 50-minute speech challenged the opposition parties to come for an open debate on his government’s progress card of the last four-and-a-half years on a common platform.
Apart from fulfilling each promises made during the 2013 elections, new initiatives like Indira canteen, Mathru Poorna and Arogya Bhagya have been implemented to help the poor, he claimed.
“The BJP is airing only negative comments about the government. They claim that the government did nothing. I challenge Jagadish Shettar to come for an open debate on this issue. We have fulfilled 155 promises out of 165. If still you have doubt, choose one date for a debate,” thundered Siddaramaiah.
“Yeddyurappa always says that he distributed panche and seere (lungi and saree). Yeddyurappa in his entire tenure as the chief minister did that only. He did nothing for the public. Instead he was lodged in jail for his misdeeds,” he said.
“We have waived farm loans availed by farmers from cooperative banks. For giving relief to the farming community further, it is necessary to waive their loans availed from nationalised banks. I took a delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I requested him with folded hands to waive farm loans. But he did not respond. I even asked Shettar to exert pressure on him. Shettar was not more than a statue in front of him,” Siddaramaiah said.
Raising the Mahadayi river diversion issue, the chief minister said he is ready to talk to Goa and Maharashtra Congress leaders, let the BJP leaders meet Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parikkar.
The Chief Minister promised that Rs 55,000 crore will be released for land acquisition of Upper Krishna project. He said the government will release Rs 1,100 crore for modernisation of Malaprabha right bank canal.Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad, Ministers R V Deshpande, H K Patil, M B Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, Vinay Kulkarni Rudrappa Lamani, other MLAs and party leaders were present.