On Wednesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not fulfilling his commitment to create two crore jobs per year, as pledged. Speaking at the inauguration of a project to replenish 150 lakes and ponds in 79 villages in Periyapatna taluk from the Cauvery River at Muthtinamulusoge, Siddaramaiah expressed disappointment over the unmet promise of generating 20 crore jobs in ten years.
In a scathing attack on the central government, the Chief Minister criticized the elevation of Lord Ram to the forefront, suggesting it was a tactic to divert attention from their alleged betrayal. Siddaramaiah emphasized the importance of fulfilling promises, citing the state government’s success in revitalizing lakes in Kolar and Chikkaballapur through another project. The current initiative aims to benefit 79 villages and approximately 93 thousand people by enhancing groundwater levels.
Highlighting the Congress government’s commitment to keeping its word, Siddaramaiah contrasted it with what he perceived as unfulfilled promises by the BJP. Despite severe drought conditions, the Chief Minister claimed his government provided drinking water to people and livestock, preventing migration.
Siddaramaiah criticized the central government for not releasing any funds for drought relief, despite numerous appeals and meetings with PM Modi and Amit Shah. He specifically called out BJP MP Pratap Simha for not securing any relief funds for the state, expressing disappointment in the lack of support from the BJP despite having multiple MPs.
Turning his attention to former PM and JD(S) chief Deve Gowda, Siddaramaiah accused him of aligning with the BJP for personal reasons and urged him to demand the drought relief owed to the state. The Chief Minister questioned the JD(S)’s commitment to secularism despite aligning with the BJP.
Siddaramaiah concluded by stating that around 4.50 crore people from 1 crore 30 lakh families in the state would receive 4 to 6 thousand rupees from guarantee schemes every month. The event was presided over by Sericulture and Animal Husbandry Minister K. Venkatesh, along with Water Resources Minister and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa, and Minor Irrigation Minister N S Bosaraju, among others.