Siddaramaiah trains guns on Modi, Shah

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday launched another salvo at the Union government, this time directing his anger at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The verbal volley comes in the backdrop of Shah’s visit to the state. The BJP leader is due in Bengaluru on Saturday night and would be visiting Mysuru district on Sunday.

Siddaramaiah has also bemoaned the Centre’s reluctance to release or even address the compensation for drought to the state under National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) norms.

The State government had declared that 223 out of 236 taluks in Karnataka were drought-hit.

Crop loss of Rs 33,710 crore has been estimated, and compensation of Rs 17,901 crore has been requested from the Centre.

The CM pointed out that it had been four months since a formal request was submitted for droughtrelated compensation four months ago but there had been no progress on the issue.

“According to the rules, a meeting should be held under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister, who should then review the report and approve the compensation. The Union Home Minister doesn’t have the time to hold such a small meeting. When will you release the drought compensation, Amit Shah? Answer that before you set foot in Karnataka,” Siddaramaiah said.

He has also pointed out that Karnataka is yet to receive Rs 5,300 crores allocated for the Upper Bhadra, besides funding for other infrastructure projects.

The CM also raised the issue of tax devolution to Karnataka being purportedly insufficient.

Not ‘amrit’ but ‘vinash kaal’: CM

He also slammed PM Modi over perceived administrative failures.

“Over the past ten years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders have been describing the BJP's governance as the ‘Amrit Kaal’. In reality, this has been a period of ‘Vinasha Kaal’. During this time, the hardships and sufferings of the country's common people have increased by many folds,” Siddaramaiah said.