Laxmi Hebbalkar, MLA and Congress leader, has criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for holding its core committee meeting and State executive committee meeting as a political gimmick.
“The BJP government in the State has not been working for the welfare of the farmers and other disadvantaged communities at all,” she told journalists at her home office.
“The government has failed to provide compensation to farmers who suffered huge losses in 2019 and 2020. Several thousand families have lost their houses, but did not get money to rebuild them. Public infrastructure like schools and roads have been damaged, but they have not been repaired or rebuilt. Farmers who have lost crops in succession have not been compensated. But the State government is not bothered. Leaders in the government are worried more about party affairs than governance,” she said.
“I have gone to Bengaluru several times seeking funds for reconstruction of flood affected villages. But Ministers have sent me back saying there is no money. But the BJP has money to organise such events. That is ironical,” she said.
She accused the government of failing to release compensation to weavers, craftsmen, fishermen, animal farmers, silk rearers, and others who suffered in the lockdown.
“All they have got are empty promises. The government promised to help weavers by buying saris from them. But the promise was not kept,” she said. She asked the State government to explain how many families were the beneficiaries of the CM’s fund and other incentives announced during the lockdown.
She objected to the government failing to hold the winter session in the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi in 2019 and 2020. If this continues, then the Legislative House will remain unutilised.
The government should take immediate steps to see that the winter sessions are regularly held in Belagavi, she said.
“I neither welcome nor oppose the BJP holding its meetings here. It is an internal matter of the party. But its leaders should take into consideration, all other factors,” she said.
She said that the resignation of Krishna Angolkar, zilla panchayat member from the Congress, and his plans to join the BJP would not affect the Congress in any way.
“He had never supported in my bid for the Assembly. I have several enemies in the party. He was one of them. I have always been fighting them,” she added.
