Denying allegations that injustice had been done to North Karnataka by the new coalition government in its State budget, Janata Dal (Secular) supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Sunday said he would ask Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to release a White Paper during the next legislature session on the total funds allocated to each district of the State by various governments since 1956.
Addressing presspersons here on Sunday, he said he would ask the Chief Minister to earmark two or three days for discussion on the development of North Karnataka in the next legislature session. The discussion would be on the funds allocated to different works by all governments and the White Paper would contain all the statistics on how funds were allocated to each of the districts and the work done, he said.
On the growing demand for a separate Statehood in the wake of the alleged meagre allocation of funds to North Karnataka, Mr. Gowda said that White Paper would prove that no injustice had been done to North Karnataka. “Let the leaders discuss everything about North Karnataka, including the Nanjundappa Committee report on regional imbalance,” he said.
Refuting allegations that the State budget had become a ‘Vokkaliga budget’, Mr. Gowda sought to know the contribution of Lingayat leaders who ruled the State for 25 years. “If you say there is no development, then where did the money go? To the houses of politicians?” he asked.
The former Prime Minister said that the ₹40,000 crore farm loan waiver was not restricted to 34% Vokkaliga farmers in Old Mysuru region of Karnataka but to all the regions of the State.
Replying to another query, Mr. Gowda said he had no problem with AICC president Rahul Gandhi becoming the Prime Minister as his party was part of the coalition and the party had no problem in supporting the Congress at the Centre.
Third Front
He clarified that his party, which could not open its account in 17 districts of the State, was not in a position to lead an anti-BJP Third Front now. On the tie-up for Lok Sabha elections next year, he said the issue had not been decided yet.
He said that there was no clarity on the Third Front and probably the shape of it might emerge after the Lok Sabha polls.