Udupi : Lok Sabha Member Shobha Karandlaje said Congress will be defeated in the forthcoming Taluk and Zilla Panchayat elections, even if it wins more seats in the just concluded Legislative Council election.
Speaking to the media persons here on Monday, she said it is generally presumed that the ruling party will always have an upper hand in the Legislative Council election.
“It will not be a great surprise if the intelligence reports turn out to be true. But the BJP candidate in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi will win with majority votes only through first preferential votes. The Congress will surely pay for the worst-ever inactive rule in the forthcoming local body elections,” she claimed.
Shobha alleged that the Congress government is irresponsible and is least bothered about the problems in State. “The government has not released any funds for the drought-hit areas. It has also failed to adequately use the funds released by the Union government through National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF). The Central government has already released Rs 350 crore. It has allotted Rs 1,540 crore as against the State government demand for Rs 3,500 crore.This decision was taken at a High Powered Committee meeting,” she said.
“The guidelines also state that the Central government will reimburse the amount the State government spends on the rehabilitation process at drought-hit areas. The State government, despite having sufficient funds to provide rehabilitation in the drought-hit areas, has failed to respond to the people’s grievances,” she charged.
Coming down heavily on the State government, the MP criticised that the deputy commissioners and Zilla Panchayat CEOs also say that they do not have funds to solve the drinking water needs of common people across the State. The people’s anger against the Congress government in State can be widely seen, she said.
Criticising the government for purchasing fodder from the states like Haryana and Punjab, Shobha said the government has failed to make arrangements to collect dry grass available in abundance in the State.
Holding the chief minister and the agriculture minister responsible for this, she said additional burden has to be borne by the poor farmers.
Shobha said various government departments have not made any progress and nowhere near reaching their targets.
“The State government is also not utilising funds available under different programmes from the Central government. It has also failed to send proposals to the Centre on its projects,” she alleged.
She charged that a survey of physical challenged has yet not been not taken up. “Sufficient funds for available for the development of physically challenged, SCs/STs under the ITDP scheme.The Centre cannot take up any measures if the State government does not send any proposal,” she said.
Shobha charged that the funds released for the dredging works at Kodikanyana and Malpe are not being used. The tendering process has not been completed for works worth Rs 6.5 crore and Rs 2.5 crore at Kodikanyana and Malpe respectively. The funds were released almost 10 months ago, she claimed.
She said skill development programme has also been already started at four centers in the district and nearly 80 percent of the trainees have been employed.
She ridiculed that urban development minister Vinay Kumar Sorake is the minister only for Kaup which he represents in the Legislative Assembly.