Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said on Wednesday that the last nine-and-a-half months of the Congress–JD(S) coalition government had not seen a single incident of communal violence in the three coastal districts. He was speaking at a convention of fisherwomen organised by the Congress and the JD(S), here.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said people wanted to lead a peaceful and orderly life. After Bengaluru, it was the coastal districts, which were most developed in the State. The BJP had only divisive issues to offer; people should not get taken in by it. But the coalition government was committed to development.
The fishermen had sought a loan waiver scheme and other demands, including an increase in the quota of subsidised diesel. The Cheif Minister said he could not comment on these demands as the model code of conduct was in force. But the coalition government has always been committed to the welfare of the fishermen community, he said.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said the State government had tried its best with help from the Union government and the Maharashtra government to locate the fishing boat from Malpe that went missing off Goa coast on December 15, last year.
The government would look into the demand for expediting the widening work on National Highway 66 which was going on at a snail’s pace, he said.
Pramod Madhwaraj has been fielded as on JD(S) ticket for the Udupi–Chikkamagaluru parliamentary seat through an understanding between the Congress and JD(S), Mr. Kumaraswamy said.
Jaimala, Women and Child Development Minister; S.L. Bhoje Gowda, MLC; Oscar Fernandes, Gopal Poojary, U.R. Sabhapathi, and M.A. Gafoor, Congress leaders; and Yogish Shetty, Shalini Shetty Kenchanur, and Vasudev Rao, JD(S) leaders, were present.
‘Will will 20 to 22 seats’
Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Congress–Janata Dal (Secular) coalition would win 20 to 22 parliamentary seats in the State.
After participating in the convention, Mr. Kumaraswamy told presspersons that surveys in the media projecting a massive win for the BJP were all concocted. This was also because the BJP had given advertisements of ₹550 crore to the media.
The Kannada electronic media was projecting as if the parliamentary elections were being held in Mandya, Hassan, and Tumakuru alone. They had forgotten the other parliamentary seats in the State. He said his son K. Nikhil would win by a big margin in Mandya. “All these surveys would be proved wrong on May 23,” he said.
To a query, he said there would be a change in the coastal districts after the parliamentary elections. The Congress would win the Dakshina Kannada seat. JD(S) candidates Mr. Madhwaraj and Anand Asnotikar would win in the Udupi–Chikkamagaluru and Uttara Kannada parliamentary seats, respectively, he said.
To another query, he said the only achievement of Union Minister Ananthkumar Hegde was his reckless statements and humiliating remarks about leaders of other parties. Neither Mr. Hegde nor Prime Minister Narendra Modi had contributed anything for the development of the State, he said.
He said he was committed to solving the issue of migration of youth by promoting ecofriendly industries in the coastal districts.