The BJP-Janata Dal(S) alliance is justified, as it is in the interests of the State, the former Chief Minister and BP leader Basavaraj Bommai said in Hubballi on Monday.
“It is inevitable to put the brakes on the Congress government that is involved in maladministration and anti-people governance,” he told reporters.
The Congress government is neck deep in corruption and there is absolutely no effort at ensuring the smooth development of the State, Mr. Bommai said.
“If this is not stopped immediately, the State will slide to the depths of hell. As a responbile Opposition party, we are busy agitating against the government. However, the people want to see a united Opposition and strong agitations against the government. It is in this background that the BJP and the Janata Dal(S) are coming together. Discussions are going on about the format of the alliance for the Lok Sabha polls. We will take an appropriate decision soon,” he said.
To a query on seat sharing, he said that the BJP high command will take a decision on how many seats can be given to Janata Dal(S) candidates. “Politics is not stagnant water. It is dynamic. We will take the right decisions with the best intentions,” he said.
On Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s demand for revision of National Disaster Relief Fund guidelines so that the State can declare drought as soon as possible, Mr. Bommai said that Mr. Siddaramaiah is only finding excuses to escape from his responsibility.
“The same guidelines were there when Siddaramaiah was Chief Minister in the past. He did not speak about them then. Even when we were in power, we sanctioned higher compensation amounts than what the Union government recommended. We did not wait for the revision of guidelines. The Chief Minister doesn’t want to help farmers. That is why, he is postponing the declaration of drought. The Union government has already released the first instalment of NDRF grants and the State government should declare the State drought-hit at the earliest,” he said.
On the strike by private bus and vehicle owners, Mr. Bommai said that the bandh has been called because the Congress government has lost the confidence of private vehicle owners in the State.
