Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], Aug 29 (ANI): Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday slammed the BJP government in the state and called it "cowardly" for not opposing the Central government over its decision to "not to provide GST relief".
In a series of tweets, the former Chief Minister is the government in Karnataka is not brave enough to ask the Centre for the flood relief fund.
"The union government doesn't care about the states and the cowardly government of the BJP government in Karnataka does not dare to question it. Non-BJP ruled states have opposed the Centre's decision to not to provide GST relief," he tweeted.
Siddaramaiah alleged that if the state government is brave enough, it should take the loan and ask the central government to give Karnataka the GST fund, and take an all-party delegation to put pressure on the central government.
"The state government must now do the work of putting pressure on the Centre in the interests of the state," said Siddaramaiah.
He added that this year again floods have affected 1000 villages at 56 taluks in the state and about 1 lakh hectares of the crop has been damaged.
"Thousands of homes have collapsed and livestock has died. The state government said it has incurred a loss of about Rs 4,000 crores," he said.
"The central government has not properly provided last year's flood relief. Out of the Rs 35,000 crores relief sought, only Rs 1,800 crores have come from the Centre," he added.
Siddaramaiah further said that except for the Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, who did a helicopter surveyed of the flood-affected area, no other minister in-charge of the district visited the flood-affected areas and listen to people.
He further said that the Union Ministers must meet the Prime Minister and persuade him to release the funds for Karnataka, and when his government was in power, he regularly met the Prime Minister and demanded funds for the state.
"BJP leaders are scared to meet the PM. This is a cowardly government," added the former Chief Minister. (ANI)
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