KALABURAGI: The Indian Government could have rescued more students studying in war-torn Ukraine and prevented loss of life, considering the relations Prime Minister Narendra Modi has with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy here on Sunday.
Kumaraswamy told reporters that PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been on good terms and have spoken with each other only three months back. “The PM may have had an idea of possible war between Ukraine and Russia. He could have made arrangements for the safe return of the Indians from Ukraine well in time,” he claimed.
Now, since the students who have returned from Ukraine cannot go back, the Union and State Governments should make suitable arrangements to enable them to continue their education in India, he felt.
Kumaraswamy, however, declined to comment on the statement of the students (who have returned to India), alleging that the Centre had not made good arrangements for their return from Ukraine, but he mentioned that they had gone their to pursue their studies because of a “faulty education system in India”. “At least, now the government should frame policies so that meritorious students from poor families could get a good education,” he said.
‘Bad budget’
Kumaraswamy termed the budget presented by Basavaraj Bommai as a ‘bad budget’, adding that the person who handled the irrigation portfolio could have given sufficient grants for irrigation projects. “The grant of Rs 5,000 crore for the UKP-3 is insufficient even for the land acquisition process. If such a small amount is given for irrigation projects, when would they be finished?” he questioned.
“When I was the CM of the coalition government, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mekedatu project had been prepared. The leaders of Congress were claiming that the BJP government has earmarked Rs 1,000 crore for the Mekedatu project because of their padayatra. When there is a dispute over the Mekedatu project with the Tamil Nadu government, reserving Rs 1,000 crore is just an eyewash,” he alleged. He asserted that senior Congress leader C M Ibrahim will join the JDS in the coming days, as it is his home base from where he grew.