Bengaluru, Aug 27 (IANS) Senior BJP leader, R. Ashoka, on Thursday alleged, “We have continuously fought in the House against Minister B. Nagendra, who committed irregularities in the Valmiki Development Corporation. Therefore his resignation is certain.”
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka stated, “We have submitted a petition to the Governor seeking permission for CBI and ED investigation. When Dalit money was looted, they did not remember they were Dalits; now they seek caste protection. If there was no scam, why did Chandrashekar have to commit suicide? The government must give reasons why he was taken back into the Cabinet.”
“Minister Nagendra has been taken back into the Cabinet because it would come out that the high command is the mastermind of the scam,” Ashoka Alleged.
“We have sent the message that those who swallowed Dalit money should not be in the Cabinet. Our struggle will certainly bear fruit, and Minister Nagendra’s resignation is certain. If there is no decision within a week, we will even lay siege to the CM’s house,” he said.
The struggle against issues such as Bidadi Township Project and NICE will continue. These will be raised in the next session of the House, he added.
“Even though I am Leader of the Opposition and have written letters, I have not been given a house. I do not need Congress leaders. My gurus are Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and my party is only the BJP,” he said.
Talking about statements by Minister for Home Priyank Kharge on registration of RSS, Ashoka alleged, “Many clubs are still not registered. Ganesh associations and Christian associations need no registration for anything. But only in Kharge’s Constitution is it said that the RSS must be registered.”
“We follow Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution. Though the Congress government spoke of “freedom from garbage,” nothing has come of it. There are now shops even on pedestrian paths. Old cars line every roadside. Forming committees will not bring any improvement. There is a need for grants, implementing officers, and a department that designs schemes. None of that exists in the government. Even though there is a National Education Policy, it has not been implemented,” he said.
The state government has declared drought merely as a formality. However, it should declare drought in 175 taluks and clearly explain the funds being released, Ashoka demanded.
Ashoka said the state government had declared drought for four months only after the situation had worsened, likening it to “closing the fort gates after it has already been looted.”
“I had written to the government earlier, asking it to declare drought at the beginning itself. Drought has now been declared in 89 taluks as severe and 12 taluks as moderate. I had toured areas including Mandya and Mysuru, and BJP MLAs had also conducted assessments,” he said.
He said drought should have been declared in 175 taluks, but the number had been reduced due to a shortage of funds.
“Only Rs 1 crore has been provided per taluk. Despite our demand for compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre, it has not been considered,” Ashoka said.
“Since farmers are protesting, the government has declared drought merely as a formality,” Ashoka alleged.
“The Revenue Minister should not merely make a declaration. He must state precisely what steps have been taken and how much money has been given. The Centre releases funds once every four months; the government should say how much that amount is. When the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister calls on farmers to grow crops, our Chief Minister sends the message not to grow water-intensive crops,” he stated.
–IANS
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