The Hindu : Karnataka News : JD(S)-BJP Government only rendered lip-service: Kharge

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Karnataka

JD(S)-BJP Government only rendered lip-service: Kharge

Staff Correspondent

Congress launches Janandolan campaign in run up to elections

‘BJP has no right to seek votes on sympathy’
‘Kumaraswamy’s village stay is a gimmick’

Sounding the poll bugle: KPCC president M. Mallikarjun Kharge addressing a Janandolan rally in Chitradurga on Friday.

Chitradurga: The selfish and power-hungry politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) have not only defamed the Karnataka but also paralysed the State’s economy, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge has said.

Launching a massive Janandolan rally here on Friday, Mr. Kharge said that during their 20-month tenure, both the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) only rendered lip service, but did nothing concrete for the welfare of people.

Their intention was to remain in power, for which they distributed funds to various maths, aiming to gain votes, but failed to allocate funds for development works. He alleged that the huge amount of funds they distributed to maths was given by Union Government for development works.

“Today, the Janata Dal (Secular) claims that it has launched several programmes to uplift farmers, but in reality, the funds allocated by the Congress during its tenure were more,” he said.

Allocation

Mr. Kharge said that the Congress had earmarked Rs. 4,000 crore for irrigation, while Janata Dal (Secular)-led Government earmarked only Rs. 2,500 crore. The Congress reserved 22 per cent funds in budget for electricity, while the Janata Dal (Secular) reserved only 19 per cent.

“They (Janata Dal-Secular) might claim that they care for farmers, but they have no time for them. They were wasting time in mudslinging and power transfer,” he said.

Accusing the BJP of being opportunistic, Mr. Kharge said the party had no right to seek votes on sympathy basis after the Janata Dal (Secular) refused to transfer power to it. “There is no sympathy wave generated among people for the BJP as the people have realised that the party wanted only power,” he said.

Village stay

On the village stay of the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, he said the scheme was a gimmick. “Having born in a village, does he not know the problems and concerns of people in villages? Are the villages and their problems new to him? It was all a political drama,” Mr. Kharge remarked.

The former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh said that the Congress did not try to break the Janata Dal (Secular). It was because of the H.D. Deve Gowda’s selfish politics, the Janata Dal (Secular) leaders began distancing themselves, he claimed.

He said that as people were aware of the BJP-Janata Dal(Secular) motto, which is only to be in power. He claimed that the Congress would gain majority in the coming elections.

Party leaders, including D.K. Shivakumar and H.K. Patil spoke. N.Y. Hanumantappa, MP; H. Hanumantappa, former MP; G.H. Tippareddy, MLA, and several leaders were present.

CD released

Bangalore Special Correspondent reports:

Mr. Kharge and Mr. Singh exuded confidence that the Congress would will get a clear majority in the coming Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters after releasing a CD brought out by the party’s IT Cell to be distributed in the Gujarat Assembly elections, the leaders held the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (S) responsible for the crises culminating in the dissolution of the State Assembly and the fall of the government.

The CD contains the achievements and contributions made by the party leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to the country. It also contains the speeches of the Congress leaders including Mr. Kharge and Mr. Singh.

All senior leaders of the State unit went in a bus to participate in the Janandolana programme launched in Chitradurga.

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