Karnataka floods: Cong has no right to ask for more relief funds, says HM Bommai

Bengaluru: After Congress leaders and MLAs staged a protest in front of Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha over relief funds, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that Congress has no moral rights to ask for more relief funds.

Speaking on the issue Bommain said “When floods occurred in the state in 2009, Congress party did not do anything, now they have no right to protest against Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa led BJP government.

“Congress was at the centre but still, in the initial months, no steps were taken. They don’t have any moral right to ask for more relief funds now,” he added.

State Congress leaders and MLAs staged a protest in front of Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat here, and hit out both central and the state governments.

A Congress Legislature Party meeting ahead of the protest passed seven resolutions, in which it was decided to pressurize both governments to provide relief to the flood and drought-affected people on a “war footing”.

The CLP expressed grief over the deaths of people due to floods and decided to organise region-wise agitations, demanding immediate relief.

Among other resolutions passed were immediate steps to waive loans taken by farmers from nationalized and cooperative banks due to floods and drought, convening a special assembly session in Belagavi at once to discuss the situation and pressurizing the state government to declare affected districts as “drought-affected” forthwith.

As many as 103 taluks in 22 districts were affected due to the floods last month, in which over 80 people were killed.

Around seven lakh people were shifted to safe areas and thousands of houses were damaged.

Seven districts have been affected by drought.