H.D. Kumaraswamy, former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader, on Tuesday said that the launch of Janata Jaladhare programme for implementation of various irrigation and drinking water schemes in the State will also signal the start of the party’s campaign for the next Assembly elections.
Speaking to reporters after offering puja to one of the customised vehicles - Ganga Raths – at Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hills in Mysuru and flagging it off, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the party is going before the people with a commitment to implement all the pending irrigation and drinking water projects of the State if elected to power. “If we fail to keep the promise, Janata Dal (Secular) will be dissolved,” Mr. Kumaraswamy said.
The national parties – BJP and Congress – have failed to give adequate attention to the various irrigation and drinking water projects of the State. “I am confident that the people of the State will repose their faith in a regional Government to meet their irrigation and drinking water requirements. We are not going before the people on religious issues and disturbing the harmony. We are going before the people on real issues affecting them,” he said.
When his attention was drawn to the padayatra undertaken by the Congress for implementation of Mekedatu project, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the party had completed ignored the project when it was in power. The padayatra exercise was only a political stunt with an eye on the votes in the next elections, but the Congress did not explicitly admit it, he said.
However, JD(S), by taking up Janata Jaladhare, is not shy of asking people of the State to repose faith in the regional party for one term to realise the fruits of the long-pending irrigation and drinking water projects.
Regretting the poor allocation of funds for the irrigation projects in the State, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the State Governments were behaving as though a ‘huge achievement’ had been made by allocating ₹8,000 to ₹9,000 crore for all the irrigation projects put together.
The fruits of the irrigation projects will not be realised for next few generations in view of the slow pace of implementation. The BJP Government is asking the Centre to take over Upper Bhadra project as a national project because of the funds crunch. Similiarly, the other projects like Upper Krishna project, Mahadayi, Mekedatu and Yettinahole among others too have barely moved forward, he said.
He said the party had prepared a blue-print for mobilising ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh crore funds during its term required for implementation of the projects in a time-bound manner.
As part of Janata Jaladhare, the 15 Ganga Raths will carry water from different parts of the State on April 16 on Hanuma Jayanthi and begin their tour through 180 taluks before reaching Bengaluru on May 8.
