Bengaluru: Declaring that the Union ministers from Karnataka would not politicise developmental issues, Union chemicals and fertiliser minister, D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Monday promised to open a counter in his Delhi home to deal exclusively with matters concerning the state.
“People who have problems in Karnataka can approach us there," Mr Gowda told reporters at the party's state office here. Reiterating that the Union ministers from Karnataka would work in tandem to become a bridge between the state and Centre, he said the Karnataka government too could approach them if it had any issues with the various Union ministries.
Refuting the allegation that the Centre had a stepmotherly attitude to Karnataka, Mr Gowda said the state's lack of cooperation was responsible for projects not taking off.
“Take the suburban rail. From a 80:20 formula, the Centre agreed to share 50 per cent of the cost and we set aside Rs 17,000 crore for it in the budget. But the state hasn't come forward to take the project forward," he regretted.
As for the shortage of drugs at the Janaushadhi Kendras, he said a depot would be set up in Bengaluru to supply them the medicines they need.
On the Mekedatu reservoir issue, he said if the state government prepared a Detailed Project Report, the Union ministers from Karnataka would pursue the matter with the Centre.
To a question, he said his prophecy of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy resigning would have come true had he not been confined to a room and not allowed to announce his resignation following the Lok Sabha results.
On the row over Hindi being imposed on the south, he clarified that it was only a draft proposal. "No one will impose Hindi," he assured.
