Haveri (Karnataka), Oct 11 The administration in state has been paralysed due to internal conflicts within the Congress over power sharing, former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai said on Saturday, adding that people are suffering as the Congress high command lacks clarity.
Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, he said: "From the very day the Congress government was formed, there have been conflicts over power transfer and sharing. Nothing is stable. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s camp says he will continue for five years, while deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar’s camp says the Karnataka Congress president will become Chief Minister.
"It seems the high command is unable to take a clear decision on this matter. Even within the high command, there are two groups—one supporting the Chief Minister and the other supporting Shivakumar. That is where the problem lies. Due to these internal issues, the administration of the state has come to a standstill, and the people of Karnataka are suffering. If they analyze the situation deeply, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah must answer what lies ahead."
The BJP leader said that looking at Siddaramaiah’s political background, one must see whether he is still the rebellious type who rises up when deprived of power, or if he has now become a compromising Siddaramaiah.
"The outcome depends on how strong the high command is and whether they will make a change or not," he said.
Asked about allegations that Congress MLA K.C. Veerendra aka Veerendra Pappi was transferring money for the Bihar elections for a Cabinet post, Bommai said the ED is conducting a detailed investigation.
"They are probing where this money came from and how much more is involved. The truth will come out after the investigation."
Responding to a question about the government’s announcement of distributing Indira Kits instead of rice under the Anna Bhagya scheme, he said: "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier said that 15 kilograms of rice -- 10 kilogram from the state government and 5 kilogram from the Centre -- would be given. Now, since the state government does not have funds to buy rice, they are resorting to this alternative."
Replying to a question about BJP leaders boycotting the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) meeting, the former CM said the creation of Greater Bengaluru is for political gain.
"They have restructured certain constituencies and deliberately divided the areas where BJP is strong through delimitation to gain reservation benefits and political mileage. This is a ploy to come to power, and it will not lead to any real development."
He further said although it is well known that Bengaluru experiences continuous rains, no precautionary measures have been taken.
"The main drains and sub-drains must be cleaned, and encroachments must be cleared. During our tenure, they had sanctioned Rs 8,000 crore for cleaning major and sub-drains and for clearing encroachments. That work has now stopped. Because of this, water flows onto the roads and into houses in low-lying areas, causing great hardship to the people," Bommai added.
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