The JD(S) will support the Bharat bandh called by some parties and organisations against price rise, the fall of the rupee and other issues on Sunday.
“The NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anti-people and anti-poor. It has failed on all fronts. The rise in fuel and other prices is just one of the Central government’s failures,” N.H. Konaraddi, former MLA and JD(S) senior vice-president, said.
Our workers at district, taluk and at hobli levels will stage protests condemning the economic policies of the BJP. The prices of essential commodities have increased alarmingly owing to inflation and spiralling prices of petroleum products. The common man is finding it difficult to live,he said.
Mr. Konaraddi who has been leading the agitation or Mahadayi waters for a few years, said he was not happy with the verdict of the river water tribunal as the allocation was less than the 129 tmcft Karnataka had sought. This was against the tribunal’s assessment of 188 tmcft in the river basin. However, the allocation is a relief as Goa had completely opposed the release, he added.
He said he would urge Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar to convene an all party meeting to decide how to utilise Mahadayi waters. It would also discuss if we should question the allocation in the Supreme Court, he said. The Centre, in the meantime, should take measures to issue a notification or prepare a detailed project report as per the tribunal order.
Road works
Mr. Konaraddi defended the shifting of Karnataka State Highway Infrastructure Project KSHIP office from Belagavi to south Karnataka, saying all road works in the region were completed. The government would cancel its earlier order on shifting the AYUSH medicine preparation unit from Belaglavi to Bengaluru, he said.
Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy was planning to depute Ministers to Belagavi to work from the Suvarna Soudha. They will review progress of schemes and receive grievances and take major decisions, he said, adding that it would take 2-3 months for the government to shift nine offices to north Karnataka.