Cutting across party lines, Karnataka MLAs, MLCs pay tribute to SM Krishna
BELAGAVI: Cutting across party lines, members of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council at the winter session in Belagavi on Tuesday paid tribute to former CM SM Krishna and recalled his contributions for the state's rapid progress.
Before the winter session was adjourned until 11 am on Thursday, many members in both Houses called him a statesman-politician and said his long-term vision for the development of Bengaluru brought the city on the world map of the IT industry. They added that the majority of irrigation projects in the North Karnataka region saw the light of day during his tenure as chief minister.
Following Krishna's demise in the early hours of Tuesday, Assembly Speaker U T Khadar moved an obituary reference as the house assembled to meet. Supporting the move, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recalled that he was influenced by Krishna before entering politics. Even before joining the Congress in 2005, he had consulted with Krishna who appreciated his stand.
Stating that Krishna was a rare politician and an able administrator, the chief minister said he never encouraged politics of vengeance and used to treat members of all political parties with great love.
Opposition leader R Ashok said no Bengalorean can forget Krishna because of the progress in the city while he was chief minister. He was the real architect of “Brand Bengaluru” for the emphasis he laid on the growth of IT and BT industries in the state capital because of which any foreign delegation visiting the country used to come to Bengaluru, said Ashok. He also highlighted Krishna's role in enabling the international airport to come up in Bengaluru. Krishna used to take all matters sportingly and was a great lover of sports, lawn tennis in particular, he added.
Stating that Krishna was a statesman-politician, Home Minister G Parameshwar said that the former’s political life was a model to be emulated by budding politicians. As he was a great listener, he used to find solutions for any problem, said Parameshwar. He appreciated how Krishna handled the issue of the kidnapping of film star Rajkumar by Veerappan and the severe drought situation. Being a real force behind the IT revolution in the state, Krishna not only brought the image of the “Silicon City of India’ but also introduced technology in the administration, he added.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil stated that though Krishna was projected as chief minister of Bengaluru, his contribution to the North Karnataka region was vital. During his tenure as chief minister, the majority of irrigation projects saw the light of the day. Allocation for irrigation projects was 37 per cent of the entire budget, of which 75 per cent was earmarked to the North Karnataka region.
He said the idea of constituting the Nanjudappa Committee to address the regional imbalance was Krishna’s idea. As the state succeeded in using 729 tmc feet of water from the Krishna River during his tenure as chief minister, Patil appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to install a statue of Krishna in the Vidhana Soudha and build a memorial at Aalamatti as a befitting tribute to his services.
Ministers K H Muniyappa and Zameer Ahmad Khan, T B Jayachandra, G Janardhana Reddy, Araga Gnyanendra, Suresh Babu, G T Deve Gowda and others spoke about Krishna's contribution and prayed for strength to his family members to bear the loss. Later, the house was adjourned for the day. It will reconvene on Thursday as a public holiday has been declared on Wednesday as a mark of respect for the departed leader.
Council pays tribute
At the legislative council, MLCs described Krishna as one of the most decent, visionary, statesmanlike and soft-spoken leaders and a great administrator.
"It is not appropriate to call him just a politician but a great statesman. His vision for the state's development was amazing," said former minister and BJP MLC CT Ravi.
MLC H Vishwanath, who also worked in the Krishna government as Minister for Education, said that Krishna as CM gave priority to education and health.
"He considered me as the apt person to head the Education Ministry and had great faith in me. It was during our period that we launched the ambitious Midday Meal project in Karnataka to prevent school dropouts, mainly in the North Karnataka region," he said.
NS Bose Raju, House leader of the Congress in the council, said that Krishna launched the mid-day meal scheme from his home district Raichur as the district had the highest school dropout rate.
Describing Krishna as a leader who was best in handling even tough and critical situations, MLCs of the BJP and Congress recalled the days when forest brigand Veerappan had kidnapped Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar.
"It was because of his intelligent and patient handling of the situation that he could not only prevent Rajkumar’s fans from going berserk in the state, but also ensured that Rajkumar was brought back safe from the clutches of Veerappan," said leader of the opposition in the council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy.