BENGALURU : Opposition BJP on Tuesday urged Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to direct the State Government to immediately give compensation to farmers, who are in distress due to drought. A BJP delegation consisting of Opposition Leader R Ashoka and former chief ministers Basavaraj Bommai and DV Sadananda Gowda submitted the party’s report on the drought situation in Karnataka to the Governor.
They accused the State Government of failing to help farmers and sought the Governor’s directives to the government to waive up to Rs 2 lakh loans taken by farmers from the cooperatives societies, give Rs 4 crore compensation to each Assembly constituency and release funds like the way BJP government in the state had done during the floods to help farmers.
Speaking to reporters Ashoka urged the government to immediately provide compensation or resign. Former CM Bommai said the Congress had requested the Centre to release Rs 18,000 crore as drought relief, but the State Government had released just Rs 105 crore which was not even 1% of the relief amount sought from the Union Government.
The BJP leader wanted the government to disclose the money available in NDRF, SDRF, and DCs accounts. He said insecurity was haunting CM Siddaramaiah due to which he was busy politicking. “Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar has been fighting for the CM post and others were busy securing the Deputy Chief Minister’s post. Everyone has forgotten the state’s development and indulged in politics,” he said.