BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka on Tuesday accused the Congress government of failing to take timely measures to tackle the drought despite warnings from the India Meteorological
Department (IMD), alleging that the State Government was instead preoccupied with the issue of a change of guard and its leaders were camping in New Delhi.
He warned that if the government continued with its “attitude”, the Congress would “bite the dust” in the 2028 Assembly elections.
“The government has betrayed the people on the drought issue. The Finance Department has exposed the financial crunch the state is facing. If the government does not mend its ways, a struggle will be launched across the state.
It is examination time for the government. If it fails, it will be reduced to zero in 2028,” he said.
“Information from the India Meteorological Department that monsoon rainfall would be less reached the government in April itself. How many meetings did the state government hold? Even after May and
June arrived, nothing was done. Even after the Centre indicated that there would be an El Niño effect, no action was taken,” he said.
A drought note was sent to the Cabinet in April itself, but it took four months to declare drought, he claimed.
Ashoka said even senior Congress legislators, including HK Patil and Appaji C S Nadagouda, had expressed their anguish over their taluks not being included among drought-hit areas.
“I wrote a letter to the Chief Minister on July 2; there is still no reply. What kind of response will the people get then?” he asked. He also criticised the government’s handling of cloud seeding, claiming that despite a warning from the IMD, Water Resources Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy had said it would serve no purpose. Ashoka further alleged that Rs 28 crore had been sanctioned to benefit a Congress MLA.
Ashoka urged the government to extend the moratorium on recovery of farm loans from one year to two years and sought a waiver of agricultural loans.He also demanded immediate action to regulate private financiers who were lending to distressed farmers.
Opposition members in the Legislative Council on Tuesday questioned the government’s preparedness, utilisation of funds and relief measures taken up in drought-hit taluks.
Initiating a discussion, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara spoke about the steps taken to tackle drought in the state.
BJP MLC CT Ravi said Shivakumar will go down in history as the first CM to undertake a helicopter tour of drought-hit areas.
