GULBARGA: The former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly N. Dharam Singh has termed the five-day special session in Belgaum an "utter failure."

Owing to lack of planning on the issues to be discussed, the Government could not achieve anything and the aspirations of the North-Karnataka remained unfulfilled, he said.

He was addressing a press conference here on Monday.

Mr. Singh said that the "indifference" of the Government and its belligerent attitude on all the issues raised by the Opposition parties was the main reason for the Belgaum session ending without addressing the problems of North Karnataka, particularly those of Hyderabad-Karnataka region.

If the Government was interested in addressing the problems of North Karnataka, it should have consulted Opposition leaders in the Assembly and the Council and the floor leaders of all the parties in the legislature and the Government convened a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee to finalise an agenda for the special session.

Even on the border row with Maharashtra, the Government had failed to deliver a strong message during the session. It was initially not willing to pass the resolution moved by the Congress party saying that the Mahajan Commission's recommendations were final on the plea that similar resolutions had been passed in 1968, 1970 and 1988.

When the Congress stood by its resolution, the Government suggested that the same would be moved by the Chief Minister and seconded by Mr. Singh.

Resolution

"The Congress party, which was interested in smooth discussions in the Assembly, did not stick to its resolution. It agreed to the Government's alternative and allowed the resolution to be passed".

Mr. Singh accused the Government of conducting the special session for passing bills, particularly the Office of Profit Bill that was mired in a controversy with the Governor seeking clarifications on some of its proposals.

Mr. Singh said that the Congress party was not responsible for adjournments during the session. It was the blackmailing tactics employed by Janata Dal (Secular) and BJP legislators that had forced the Congress legislators to hit back. When the Government failed to provide details of drought relief works, the Congress legislators were forced to launch a night-long dharna inside the council. He accused the Government of failure taking up drought relief works and utilising funds released by the Central Government. The Government's stance had been anti-North Karnataka. In the additional budget of Rs. 1,409 crore approved by B.S. Yediyurappa during the session, not a penny had been set aside for development of North-Karnataka.

On the proposed move to declare Belgaum as the second capital of the state, he said that the Government did not appear to have taken any decision on the matter. Its move to construct a Vidhana Soudha in Belgaum had run into rough weather following the military authorities' refusal to release land.

Mr. Singh reiterated the Congress party's demand to hold the next sitting of the Assembly in Gulbarga.

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