In PM Narendra Modi's second visit in a week to poll-bound Karnataka, he inaugurated/laid foundation stones for projects worth ₹10,800 crore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate and laid foundation stone for the projects worth Rs 10,800 crores at Yadgir on Thursday. (CMO)
A shawl handcrafted by the Banjara community hanging around his neck, invoking Basavanna and his teachings, and beating a folk drum in perfect rhythm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the pitch of “double-engine government” in Karnataka.
At a time the BJP government in Karnataka is attempting to woo various caste groups with promises of increased reservation and changed quotas, Modi said BJP doesn’t indulge in vote bank politics.
With the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls barely three-four months away, it’s raining developmental works in Karnataka. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated or laid foundation stones for various projects worth ₹10, 800 crore in the districts of Kalyana Karnataka alone.
Modi visited Yadgiri and Kalaburagi districts on Thursday, 19 January. It was his second visit to the poll-bound state in the last one week.
The prime minister laid foundation stone for the Yadgiri multi-village drinking water supply scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission, where the project cost is estimated at ₹2,050 crore, and the 65.5 km six-lane greenfield National-Highway project, which is a part of Surat-Chennai Expressway. The project cost is ₹2,000 crore.
He also inaugurated the Narayanpura Left Bank Canal Extension Renovation and Modernisation Project (NLB-ERM) at Kodekal. This project aims at irrigating 4.5 lakh hectares of the command area and is expected to benefit three lakh farmers in 560 villages of Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Vijayapura districts.
Governor Thawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwant Khuba, and other state Cabinet ministers and local elected members were present.
Criticising the previous governments, Modi said: “The BJP government’s mantra is only development. The vote bank politics of the other governments which ruled Karnataka, is one of the main factors for the backwardness of certain regions of Karnataka.”
“The positive aspect of having a BJP government at both the Centre and the state brings more development. The double-engine government means double benefit, double welfare and double fast-paced development, and Karnataka is the best example of this,” said Modi.
He further said: “It has been 75 years of India’s independence. Now, the country is marching forward with the focus on the next 25 years. These 25 years are going to be the amrit kaal for every citizen and state, during which we have to build a developed India.”
“India can be developed when, whether it is a farmer working in the field or a labourer working in industry, everyone has a better life. India can be developed when there are good crops in the fields and industries expand too,” added Modi.
Slamming the previous governments for poor policies for the backward regions, Modi said: “There are examples of Yadgiri and north Karnataka before us, despite its potential this region was lagging behind in the development journey because of bad policies.”
“Earlier governments had declared several districts, including Yadgiri, as backward and had evaded their responsibilities. The reason for this region lagging behind in development is the previous governments did not work on how to get rid of backwardness from here, leave aside putting efforts towards (development),” charged Modi.
Noting that vote bank politics affected the development works in the region, Modi said: “When it was time to invest in electricity, road and water infrastructure, the parties that were in power gave priority to vote bank politics.”
“They saw every project and programme through a prism of how to convert the votes of a particular community into a strong vote base for them. The biggest loss because of this had to be faced by the people of Karnataka and this region,” he added.
After taking part in the Kodekal event, Modi launched the ‘Hakku Patra’ (land title deed) distribution drive for over 52,000 nomadic Banjara tribes in five districts in North Karnataka at Malkhed village in Sedam taluka of Kalaburagi district.
Thank you Yadgiri for the very warm welcome! pic.twitter.com/1z3nuIQn7I
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 19, 2023
Addressing the gathering, Modi said: “It’s a big day for the people of Banjara community as over 50,000 people will get their own roof by way of land title deeds.”
Modi distributed five ‘Hakku Patra’ to five nomadic couples on the occasion.
Taking dig at Congress for not initiating development works for the Banjara community, Modi said: “In 1993, it was recommended to give revenue village status to ‘Thandas’, but the political party that remained in power for the longest period used the Banjara community as a vote bank and never tried to improve the living conditions of these backward families.”
“Those living in hamlets had to wage a long struggle for their rights and face many difficulties. They had to wait for a long time. But now the depressing atmosphere is changing. I want to assure the Banjara mothers that their son (Modi) is sitting in Delhi,” Modi declared.
As Prime Minister Modi distributed title deeds to the nomadic Banjara community in Kalaburagi, former chief minister Siddaramaiah criticised the ruling BJP in Karnataka with “feasting on the meals” prepared by the previous Congress government headed by him.
The Siddaramaiah government was in power between 2013 and 2018 in Karnataka.
Accusing the BJP of misleading the people, Siddaramaiah said: “The BJP is trying to project that they are granting revenue village status to hamlets, which is misleading. The process to make hamlets as revenue villages was initiated when I was at the helm in the state.”
“My government brought an amendment to the Forest Act and the Land Revenue Act with a slogan, ‘Those who till the land should own it’. Those were historic amendments,” the Congress Legislative Party leader pointed out.
Stating that his government had set-up a committee to submit a report on how to make these hamlets revenue villages, Siddaramaiah said: “An IAS officer was made the nodal officer to implement it. The Congress could not give the land title deeds to the beneficiaries as it lost power in the 2018 polls.”
“The BJP, without doing anything in the last four years, has suddenly started claiming that they did everything. The BJP is feasting on the meals prepared by us because of impending elections,” he contended.
Meanwhile the Congress’ Campaign Committee chairman in the state, MB Patil, claimed the Narayanpura Left Bank Canal Extension Renovation and Modernisation Project at Kodekal was started in Siddaramaiah’s regime.
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