Siddaramaiah: Only Modi can resolve Kalasa-banduri row

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah remarked on Monday that people of Karnataka would not forgive the Bharatiya Janata Party while reacting to ‘Raitha Chaitanya Yatra’ launched by leaders of the principal opposition, including vice president B S Yeddyurappa and leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, K.S. Eshwarappa.

The Chief Minister told reporters here that these leaders are under an illusion that they would return to power with the help of such rallies.

Referring to the statement of Mr Eshwarappa that farmers’ need not repay their loans as the BJP waive them if voted back to power, Mr Siddaramaiah said “One should not give false statements or false promises.”

Replying to Mr Yeddyurappa’s offer that if he were given an opportunity, he would lead a delegation to Goa and Maharashtra to resolve the Mahadayi river dispute, Mr Siddaramaiah retorted, “Why did he not resolve the issue when he was the Chief Minister?”

According to Mr Siddaramaiah, Mr Yeddyurappa has turned desperate and therefore has been making such statements.

“He has no power. Nor was he inducted into the cabinet there (in New Delhi). As BJP national vice president, he should have prevailed upon Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to get farm loan sanctioned by public sector banks waived. Nearly 80 per cent of the loans of farmers were from these banks. If he is so determined, let him get these loan waived off by the Union government,” he added.

On the Kalasa Banduri irrigation project, he reiterated that only person who could resolve this issue was Prime Minister Mr Modi.

“I never saw a Prime Minister saying let the opposition parties be convinced to resolve this issue. He should convene a meeting of Chief Ministers and give directions to the upper riparian states,” Mr. Siddaramaiah added.