The Hindu : Karnataka News : A bad precedent, says B.S. Yeddyurappa

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Friday, Mar 07, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

A bad precedent, says B.S. Yeddyurappa

Special Correspondent

‘Loan waiver scheme an election stunt’
‘Governor acting as a Congress agent’

B.S. Yeddyurappa

SHIMOGA: The former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said here on Thursday that the decision of S.M. Krishna to resign as Maharashtra Governor and return to active politics had a set bad precedent as it amounted to politicising the gubernatorial post.

Addressing a press conference, he said the manner in which the Mr. Krishna’s return evoked reactions from its leaders only showed the bankruptcy of its leadership. “The normal practice is that a person who has resigned from active politics is posted as Governor. But inducting a person from a gubernatorial post into active politics has set a dangerous practice,” he said.

He said that Mr. Krishna’s decision of Mr. Krishna to return to mainstream politics had led to groupism in the Congress.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said that the decision of the Chief Election Commissioner to hold Assembly elections in May has sent shock waves in the Congress circles which tried their best to get the elections postponed in view of the lack of cohesive leadership in the party.

He said Mr. Krishna’s return to active politics would have no impact on the BJP in the State.

Describing the loan waiver scheme announced in the Union Budget, Mr. Yeddyurappa said Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram owed an explanation as how could he mobilise resources.

He wondered why the Congress leaders in the State who had questioned the practicability of his assurance to waive agricultural loan to tune of Rs. 25,000 and the advancement of agricultural loan at four per cent interest which he had given as Finance Minister in his budget should maintain reticence when the Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram announced the waiver of agricultural loan.

He pointed out that when he announced the loan waiver for agriculture, he made the arrangement to refinance cooperative institutions to the tune of Rs. 1,470 crore as a relief to them. He said that the waiver announced by Mr. Chidambaram would not benefit even five per cent of farmers in the State as most of them had availed themselves of the loan only after April last. “The loan waiver by the Centre is nothing but an election stunt,” he said.

Dharna

Mr. Yeddyurappa said that his party MPs, former MLAs and other elected members would stage a dharna in front of the Parliament House in Delhi on March 10 to protest against the “injustice” being done by the Railways to Karnataka.

Stating that the President’s Rule in Karnataka had come as a “curse” to its people he alleged that Governor Rameshwar Thakur was acting as a Congress “agent.”

He said that he had no courtesy of replying to the questionnaire sent to him with regard to the non-implementation of development works and welfare schemes introduced by the previous Janata Dal (Secular)-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government.

He said that his party would hold a farmers’ rally in Hubli on March 17 to discuss the farmer-related issues such as farmers’ suicides. He wondered how the nationalised banks could sustain themselves if the interest on the agricultural loan was waived for three years.

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