Ballari: With the state assembly elections just seven months away, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah sounded the poll bugle for the Congress party launching a slew of development works and distributing benefits of various welfare schemes while participating in a convention titled ‘District Development and Samajik Sadhaneya Samavesha’ held here on Tuesday.
Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa at a massive Ballari district Samajik Sadhaneya Samavesha (social achievement convention), Siddaramaiah said the Modi government had no moral right to criticise Congress rule in Karnataka. “We have fulfilled almost every promise made to people prior to the 2013 assembly elections.”
"We have spent Rs 86,000 crores on welfare of Dalits and reserved Rs 27,730 crore for Dalits, backwards and minorities. But the Centre is not even able to waive off farmers’ loans,” he alleged.
Taking a dig at Mr Yeddyurappa for having food at Dalits’ houses, he said, “Mr Yeddyurappa is enacting a drama by sharing meals with Dalit families. If he wants to follow the principles of saint-reformer Basavanna and show his concern for the problems faced by Dalits, he should marry his children into Dalit families,” said the CM and accused the state BJP president of playing the Dalit card on the eve of next year’s elections.
Mr Siddaramaiah also wondered why Mr Yeddyurappa did not show any concern for Dalits over the last four years and had suddenly woken up to meet them to secure their votes. The gap between Dalits and those belonging to upper castes cannot be bridged by sharing a meal but only through marriage. Dalits, however are wiser and cannot be taken for a ride by these leaders, he added.
According to the district administration, as many as 3.42 lakh people have got benefits, including allotment letters for beneficiaries under the group housing scheme, LPG gas connections, BPL cards among others. The CM also launched works for improving the distributaries of high-level canal, Chilawar Bandi lift irrigation scheme, measures to fill up the Malvi reservoir and the like. the function venue.
