Siddaramaiah, in his post, questions whether Amit Shah’s visits to Karnataka are intended to support or hinder the interests of Kannadigas.
Siddaramaiah speaking to reporters.
In a strongly-worded post, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has raised several questions over intentions and actions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visits to Karnataka.
The Chief Minister’s remarks come amidst escalating tensions over the issue of drought relief and other grievances between Karnataka and union government.
Siddaramaiah questioned the moral right of Shah in seeking votes from the people, who weren’t provided any assistance during the drought despite repeated requests to the government.
The chief minister, in a post on social media platform X, directly addressing Shah, asked if the home minister’s visits are intended to support or hinder the interests of Kannadigas.
Home Minister Amit Shah avare, what drives your visits to Karnataka – to support or to hinder the Kannadigas? Is it to preserve or disturb the peace, tranquillity, and harmony of Karnataka?
Aren’t you the reason for such a question to arise in the minds of Kannadigas every time…
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 2, 2024
“Due to the shortage of rain, 223 taluks in the state have been officially declared drought-affected, with an estimated loss of around ₹33,770 crore, according to a state government assessment. Of this, we have raised a demand for a minimum compensation of ₹17,901 crore from the Centre,” he wrote on X.
“For this, we wrote letter after letter, met with the Prime Minister as well as you, the chairman of the High Power Committee for Drought Relief, but no compensation has been provided yet. Why do you have such animosity towards Karnataka and Kannadigas?”, he asked.
The Chief Minister also accused Shah of delaying the convening of a high-powered committee meeting promised last September to address the drought relief issue, further intensifying the grievances of the state government and its people.
Siddaramaiah pointed out the “injustices” faced by Karnataka, including disparities in relief provided compared to other states like Maharashtra and Gujarat.
“In 2017, Karnataka faced a drought leading to an estimated loss of ₹30,000 crore, yet the Union Government provided only ₹1,435 crore in relief. In contrast, Maharashtra received ₹8,195 crore and Gujarat ₹3,894 crore the same year”, he said.
“Even when the BJP was in power in Karnataka in 2019, no compensation was provided for the damages caused by excessive rainfall”, he further said. “Are you offended by Kannadigas for never allowing the BJP to come to power on its own?”
Siddaramaiah questioned whether permission has been given so far for Mekedatu project and Mahadayi project.
He questions whether Kannadigas were seen as enemies of Gujaratis, especially considering past incidents involving the absorption of Vijaya Bank by Bank of Baroda of Gujarat and the takeover of ports and airports by the Adani Group, which is based in Gujarat.
“Kannadigas haven’t forgotten the attempt to merge our pride, KMF, with Gujarat’s Amul. During the BJP’s tenure in the state, weren’t you the one who made Nandini products disappear from the market to glorify Amul products everywhere?”, Siddaramaiah asked.
The tweet also brings to light controversies surrounding language and cultural identity, with Siddaramaiah accusing Amit Shah of undermining the Kannada language and imposing Hindi on Kannadigas.
Siddaramaiah also demanded clarification on the status of Hindi as the national language and urges for the inclusion of Kannada as a medium of instruction in Union Government exams, including nationalised banks and the Railway Department.
“Why do you repeatedly impose Hindi on Kannadigas by falsely claiming it to be the national language? Has the Constitution ever declared Hindi as the national language? If so, in which section is it mentioned?,” he demanded.
“Despite sending the Kannada flag design to the Union Government for approval six years ago, there has been no approval. Why do you oppose the Kannada flag?”, he asked.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has also posed similar questions to Amit Shah in a post on X.
Simple question to Amit Shah ji who has come to Karnataka to take our votes-
Sir, we pay highest taxes in the country. 223 out of 240 talukas are under drought. As per law our farmers should have got drought relief funds in November. It is April. Our farmers have not got single…— Krishna Byre Gowda (@krishnabgowda) April 2, 2024
Siddaramaiah also raised concerns about potential unrest and peace disruptions that follow the home minister’s visits to the state, citing allegations made by a former MP from Mysore that he is provoking riots as per Shah’s suggestion.
Siddaramaiah concluded his tweet urging Amit Shah to refrain from committing injustices against Karnataka and its people and to not disturb the state’s peace and tranquillity.
Citing that Karnataka has been denied its tax share by the BJP-led government at the centre, the chief minister while speaking to the media in Mysuru on Tuesday, 2 April, said that people of the state will teach BJP a lesson.
He also warned that if the present government continues to resort to divisive tactics instead of focusing on presenting its achievements to the people to seek votes, the outcome of the previous Assembly Elections will likely be repeated in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
(Edited by Shauqueen Mizaj)
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