Mysore/Mysuru: Claiming that the State’s financial health is on the verge of collapse, former Chamarajanagar MP and senior Congress leader R. Dhruvanarayan has demanded a white paper on the status of the State’s economy.

Addressing a press meet here recently, Dhruvanarayan said that Chief Minister Yediyurappa was misleading people by saying that there is no dearth of funds for taking up flood relief works in rain battered districts of North Karnataka. But the fact is that victims of last year’s floods are yet to get relief, he said and added that those in power should not indulge in misinformation.

Stating that the Government had estimated the loss during last year’s (2019-20) floods at Rs. 35,160 crore, he said that the Government had spent only Rs. 2,940 crore for flood relief works so far, which itself speaks of the precarious condition of the State’s finances and wondered why the Government had kept such a huge relief amount as pending. Maintaining that the State is yet to get its share of GST from the Centre, he contended that the 25 BJP MPs and Union Ministers from the State lacked will power to question the Centre on GST share. He urged the Centre to immediately announce a Rs. 10,000 crore flood relief package for the State.

Commenting on politics, the MP urged CM Yediyurappa to take back his comment that BJP had won both R.R. Nagar and Sira Assembly segments even before by-polls could take place. Stating that such a remark is a blot on Democracy, he urged the Election Commission to conduct free, fair and transparent polls.

Replying to BJP National General Secretary C.T. Ravi’s remarks that there is no scope for family politics in BJP, Dhruvanarayan said that Ravi does not have any moral right for saying such things as the BJP Chief Minister himself had indulged in family politics, with one son being an MP and another son wielding power in the name of his father. There are more such examples in BJP and hence, Ravi has no moral right to speak about dynasty politics in Congress, he added.

City Congress President R. Murthy, District President Dr. B.J. Vijayakumar, KPCC Spokesperson H.A. Venkatesh were present at the press meet.