Deve Gowda hits out at K'taka govt over blockade of traffic movement at border with Kerala

Bengaluru: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Thursday, April 2 condemned the blocking of traffic movement between Karnataka and Kerala causing inconvenience to the people of both states.

He hit out at the the BJP government in Karnataka for denying entry to vehicles coming from Kasaragod to Mangaluru.

Gowda shot off a letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, stating that the JD(S) leaders there had brought to his notice ‘the inhuman and inappropriate action’ of Karnataka authorities who brought the traffic movement between Kasaragod and Mangaluru to a grinding halt.

“The situation is very grim since I learnt four to five patients died for want of medical facilities since the ambulances ferrying the patients were denied permission to cross the border so as to avail the treatment in hospitals in Mangaluru,” Gowda wrote.

The veteran JD(S) leader condemned the attitude of the BJP government in Karnataka for denying access to people from Kerala to avail medical facilities and also movement of essential goods for the people.

The JD(S) supremo said that he would take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Two days ago, Gowda had written to Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa highlighting the plight of people in Kasaragod in Kerala who are not allowed to enter Mangaluru due to COVID-19 pandemic.