Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa insisted on Thursday that the enormity of flood-related damages warranted maximum aid from the Centre.
He said he would apprise the situation to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Bengaluru visit on September seven.
"The central team had inspected the flood situation in the State. I believe that in two to three days we will get substantial aid from the Centre," Yediyurappa told reporters in Mysuru after giving an offering to full-to-the-brim river Cauvery at the Krishna Raja Sagar dam.
"We need more assistance from the Centre. Prime minister is coming to Bengaluru on September seven. I will apprise him about the situation to get maximum aid from the Centre," the Chief Minister said.
On flood relief, Yediyurappa said the government has already paid Rs 10,000 to each flood-affected families.
The government has resolved to pay Rs five lakh to the families who lost their houses, and Rs one lakh to those whose houses have partially damaged for repairing their them.
Meanwhile, the Congress staged a demonstration in the city, where the leaders slammed the Chief Minister, alleging he failed to get any central aid for flood relief.
Congress leaders warned that they would take the agitation to Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
Addressing the gathering, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleged the government was "absent" in the State though the Congress was always willing to cooperate with it.
"Our cooperation is there but you (Yediyurappa) have failed. There is no government at all. At least now start the relief work on a war footing. If you fail, then we will take our struggle to the streets," he said.
The Congress Legislature Party leader clarified that the purpose of the agitation was not to "trouble" the government but to "awaken" them to take measures on providing flood relief.
"It's more than 20 days since the flood hit the state. On the one hand, there is flood and on the other there is drought," Siddaramaiah said.
The Congress state president Dinesh Gundu Rao said if the government "remained in slumber" to provide any relief to the flood-affected people, the party would stage demonstration in the national capital.
Rao charged the Chief Minister with being "afraid" of seeking Central aid.
