Karnataka Congress leaders hid facts from Rahul Gandhi: Prahlad Joshi

HUBBALLI: Leaders of the state unit of Congress have misled vice president Rahul Gandhi on the wave of suicides by farmers, state BJP chief Prahlad Joshi charged on Saturday.

Speaking to the media after visiting families of farmers who committed suicide in Haveri district, he said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president Parameshwar ought to have escorted Mr Gandhi to houses of farmers instead of seeing him off to Andhra Pradesh.

“Mr Rahul Gandhi has returned to Delhi as Congress leaders have misled him about farmer suicides fearing his wrath. They have managed to hide facts of farmers’ suicides before his arrival. It is unfortunate that the Congress leader has not taken these suicides seriously and failed to visit their families to instill confidence in them,” he added.

Urging the state government to take up drought relief measures, he said north Karnataka has received 38 per cent deficit rainfall. He also said the government should declare these districts as drought-hit.

Joining issue with Mr Siddaramaiah on the drastic reduction in central funds to Karnataka, he said the state government was misleading people by giving wrong information about allocations made by the Union government.

Claiming that the Central government’s proposed Krishi Amdani Bima Yojana would help farmers to overcome financial problems if their produce gets destroyed, he said amendments to the crop insurance scheme would ensure major relief for distressed farmers.