Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday that people of the coastal region should not get swayed by Hindutva and other emotional issues expounded by the Bharatiya Janata Party for its political gains.
He was speaking at a public meeting held to campaign for coalition candidate Madhu Bangarappa of the Janata Dal (Secular) for the bypoll to Shivamogga parliamentary seat, here.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said in the last five-and-a-half months since the coalition government came to power in the State, there has been no major incidents of communal violence in the coastal districts. From Ullal to Karwar, the BJP has played up emotional issues for political gains, he said.
“While the BJP leaders are enjoying in air-conditioned rooms, the fishermen are sweating it out under the blazing sun. Instead of getting carried away by the divisive agenda of the BJP, people should give importance to development issues,” he said.
Subsidised kerosene
Mr. Kumaraswamy said that the fishermen were seeking subsidised kerosene. Though the State government was keen to meet this demand, it had become difficult to implement it owing to the policies of the Union government.
The State government wants to provide other facilities, including cold storage, to fishermen. The BJP government at the Centre has not done much to solve the problems of fishermen in the last four-and-a-half years, he said. “But our government is committed to holding discussions with leaders of the fishermen community,” he said.