JDS leaders attack CM BS Yediyurappa over flood relief

Team Udayavani, Sep 23, 2019, 11:28 AM IST

Bengaluru: Attacking Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa over delay in getting flood relief from the Centre, JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda on Sunday alleged the former was more bothered about retaining his position than the people of the state.

“Chair is important (for Yediyurappa), not the people,” he said.

When chair becomes important for a politician, he never thinks about people, the former prime minister told reporters here.

He said there was “an agonising situation” prevailing in the state with people affected by the floods last month were in ‘tears.’ “He (Yediyurappa) has only one concern how to save his position, Gowda charged.

The JDS leader was replying to a question on the delay in Central aid for flood relief.

Opposition Congress and JDS have been targeting the BJP government in the state for not securing central aid to take up relief and rehabilitation works in flood hit districts.

Gowda’s son and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy too hit out at Yediyurappa over the latter’s statement that he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to seek Central aid for 22 districts hit by flood and did not discuss about disqualified MLAs.

It is a political drama when the chief minister says he has gone to seek funds for the flood affected people,” he said.

In a series of tweets, Kumaraswamy alleged Yedyiyurappa has gone to Delhi to protect the interest of “disqualified victims of anti-democratic Operation Lotus, which was hatched using Amit Shahs clout.”

By Operation Lotus, Kumaraswamy was referring to the resignation by Congress and JDS MLAs from the assembly, which toppled his government in July.

Rejecting their resignations, then assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar had disqualified 17 MLAs for their anti-party activities till 2023.

The election commission has announced byelections to 15 out of 17 assembly segments on October 21.

The disqualified MLAs have approached the Supreme Court challenging the Speaker’s order and their case is coming up for hearing on Monday when they will seek a stay on the bypoll notification.