Mangaluru : Former chief minister and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy has accused the two national parties of communalisingissues for vote bank politics, which has massively hampered the development of the coastal districts.

He was speaking to media persons, the JD(S) state president alleged that communal harmony has been completely distorted by the two national political parties for their selfish gains. The parties are piercing sensitive issues and playing with the sentiments of people, the most recent instance being Bantwal, where for the first time in the history of Karnataka, Section 144 was imposed for 45 days. Both political parties are portraying themselves as saviours to shield the interest of religion, which is ridiculous. The coastal districts, which have the potential to experience development similar to that of state capital, are ruined due to the utter senseless political conspiracies, he censured.

He said that the issue of naming the road for Mulki Sundaram Shetty is also unnecessarily politicised.

The sand policy still remains mysterious in Udupi and the deputy commissioner herself has no protection. A house could be built with Rs 4,000-worth sand, but the same amount of sand costs Rs 40,000 now, said Kumaraswamy.

Coming down heavily on the Congress-led state government, the former chief minister said that the Congress is claiming that except for 4-5 assurances, it has fulfilled all other assurances given in the poll manifesto. Sadly, the government is not able to solve the problems. The administrative mechanism will not be affected, regardless of who is in power. A real government should respond to the needs of the people. Drought remains a burning issue with many farmers ending lives like never before. There is no water is the reservoirs and villages in some parts of the state are offered water through tankers even in rainy season. The situation will be deteriorating by November itself, he warned.

He said that the chief minister is defending himself for following the SC order. He asked, what was the need to release water to Tamil Nadu, when the farmers in state had no water. Harangi reservoir is filled but the farmers are made to suffer. The proposed meeting on August 5 to discuss the problem is also cancelled.

Kumaraswamy said the chief minister has no option other than Kempaiah who is the real home minister in the state and the dependence is openly accepted by the chief minister. Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Ramanath Rai, who is envisioned as the next home minister, would be merely a rubber stamp.

The Gujarat Congress MLAs are safeguarded in Bengaluru. The Congress had hijacked the JD(S) MLAs in 2001-02 and even in the past Assembly elections. The Congress has no morality to complain to the Election Commission as it has massacred democracy and BJP is following in its footsteps, he alleged.

Kumaraswamy said the party would contest from all Assembly seats independently and there would be no Mahagatbandhan. He said he had held casual talks with Congress minister D K Shivkumar and there is no political intentions behind the talks.