K.R. Pet: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led State Government has neglected development programmes by backing guarantee schemes, alleged former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa (BSY) here yesterday.

Addressing the mega election rally organised at Radio Grounds in KR Nagar to campaign for NDA candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha Constituency and former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy, Yediyurappa, also a Lingayat strongman, said that the present Congress State Government had totally failed in carrying out irrigation projects and had also neglected the  welfare of the State.

Appealing to the Veerashaiva community to consider him as their candidate and vote for Kumaraswamy, the senior BJP leader said that on Kumaraswamy emerging victorious he would come to the rescue of people as a Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet.

“Our Government (BJP State Government) had introduced ‘Bhagyalakshmi Scheme’ which benefited 20 lakh girls. But, Siddaramaiah has abolished the Scheme.  The State Government has also stopped Rs. 4,000 being given to the farmers of the State in addition to Rs. 6,000 being given by the Central Government under PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi,” he said and assured people that Kumaraswamy would work for the welfare of the State as a Central Minister.

 Pickpocket Government

Mandya Lok Sabha candidate and former CM Kumaraswamy, who spoke on the occasion, termed the present Congress State Government as a ‘Pickpocket Government’  since the Government was snatching from people and returning the same money to people in a different form.

Taking a dig at the Congress Government, Kumaraswamy said despite facing severe drought and suffering crop loss tuning up to Rs. 36,000 crore, the State Government has only released Rs. 650 crore (Rs. 2,000 per hectare) including Rs. 450 crore released by the Central Government.

“The State Government has borrowed Rs. 1.5 lakh crore to implement guarantee schemes which is an additional burden of Rs. 36,000 to each family. Moreover, their own MLAs are sceptical over the survival of the State Government after Lok Sabha elections,” said Kumaraswamy.

JD(S) State Core Committee Chairman and MLA G.T. Devegowda, former Minister C.S. Puttaraju, MLCs C.N. Manjegowda and A.H. Vishwanath, former MLA K. Mahadev, former MLC K.T. Srikantegowda and others  were present.