Mysore/Mysuru: Eleven days after the helium cylinder blast that killed three people in front of Jayamarthanda Gate of Mysore Palace on Dec. 25, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah this noon announced that the Government would pay an ex gratia of Rs. 5 lakh to the families of deceased.

Speaking to mediapersons upon his arrival on a two-day visit to the city at Mysore Airport here this noon, Siddaramaiah said that ex gratia would soon be paid to the families of the deceased. 

“Thanks to the blessings of the people, tomorrow I will be breaking the record of former Chief Minister late D. Devaraj Urs for the longest tenure of Chief Minister of Karnataka. Like me, Devaraj Urs hailed from Mysuru district. It will not be wise to compare me with Urs. The times of Devaraj Urs was different from that of today. After all, records are meant to be broken and I am doing that with the blessings and as per the wish of the electorates,” he said adding, “It is to be noted that records are not permanent and a leader may break my record too in future.”

 The CM stated that he has not thought as yet on holding ‘Sadhana Samavesha’ in the near future.

Commenting on the chances of Cabinet reshuffle or expansion, Siddaramaiah said the matter will be discussed with Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi later this month. “I will meet Rahul when he asks me. I will start making Budget preparations after Sankranti festival”, he maintained. Replying to a question on measures for preventing man-animal conflicts, the CM said the tiger population has increased in the State and this is one of the reasons why tigers are straying into human habitats. The forest department has been asked to capture tigers whenever they stray and release them into other forests, he noted.

Strongly criticising the Centre for renaming MNREGA scheme, Siddaramaiah said the Centre has renamed it as G RAM G, which is an unconstitutional Act. 

The CM said with the introduction of the renamed scheme, Karnataka would be losing                                                           Rs. 3,000 crore annually, as the State has to borne 40 percent of the scheme’s expenditure. Contending that the G RAM G act would rob the rural population of jobs and financial security, he charged the centre of being anti-poor and  anti-working class.

CM has been elected for five years: Minister Satish Jarkiholi

Maintaining that the Chief Minister of the State has been elected for five years, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi said this has been often been asserted by several Congress leaders including himself and even CM Siddaramaiah.

Speaking to mediapersons at Mysore Airport here this morning, Satish Jarkiholi, who is considered a Siddaramaiah loyalist, said that the discussions and speculations about the CM’s post should end.

Stating that he has not said anything on the so-called power sharing agreement and that he had not said that discussions on power sharing would take place after the State Budget, as reported in a section of the media, Satish said he cannot say this as he was not in a position of power to talk about this matter. “I am not in the race for the CM post nor even the KPCC president post. These issues are not being discussed now. Let us see when they come up”, he contended. Reacting to Ballari violence, in which a Congress worker was killed, Satish said an impartial probe into the clashes is being held.

 “Let the investigation report come. The true facts about the clashes and the circumstances that led to the violence would be known only when the probe is completed”, he said.