BENGALURU: Who gets to directly interact with the people first? Well, both the government and the opposition in Karnataka seem to be in a race.
In what clearly comes across as a pre-emptive strike to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s ‘Grama Vastavya’, state BJP president and opposition leader BS Yeddyurappa will set out on a three-day drought review two weeks before Kumaraswamy’s state tour begins.
Interestingly, Yeddyurappa has chosen to visit Gurmitkal too, the same place from where the CM will begin his Grama Vastavya on June 21.
The schedule for Yeddyurappa’s drought review between June 7 and 10 was drawn up at the BJP legislature party meeting on Wednesday.
Yeddyurappa will first visit Badami, the assembly constituency represented by Congress legislature party chief Siddaramaiah. After visiting Hungund, Koppal, Lingasugur and Yadgir, Yeddyurappa will conclude his tour in Gurmitkal.
“The review is aimed at exposing the ‘abject failure’ of the state government in implementing drought relief measures. Yeddyurappa will call for meetings with officials to get an understanding of the status of water shortage, fodder shortage for cattle and send out a warning to the government,” party general secretary Arvind Limbavali told the media after the meeting.
“All MPs, MLAs and MLCs will sit in satyagraha (protest) for three days starting June 13 against the government’s move to give away land to Jindal steel at throwaway prices and to protest against discrimination in allotting funds to constituencies represented by BJP leaders,” MLC N Ravikumar told The New Indian Express.
No plans to topple the Congress-JDS coalition government, says BJP
“We have no objection to extending the lease, but if the government wants to sell the land to Jindal, let them sell at market prices. Moreover, Jindal is a defaulter and this move of the government is only rewarding a business that owes dues to the state exchequer,” said general secretary C T Ravi.
As far as the coalition government is concerned, BJP leaders have been asked to be patient.
“This government is like a man bleeding to death. Any action by us will only save the man,” said a BJP leader insisting that there are no plans to topple the Congress-JDS coalition that is already in crisis.
Wednesday’s meeting was the first of such after the massive victory BJP secured in the Lok Sabha polls and saw most MLAs, MLCs and MPs in attendance.
A host of suggestions including a meeting of all MPs and legislators every two months, a meeting of MPs every month in New Delhi and a meeting of legislators every month in Bengaluru headed by Yeddyurappa were made. A blueprint of all the suggestions will be drawn after the first session of the Lok Sabha concludes.