Karnataka BJP has taken strong exception to chief minister Siddaramaiah’s offer to Kerala to buy land and build homes for the families displaced by the July landslides in Wayanad, seeing his move as the one aimed at appeasing the Congress high command.
Both BJP state president BY Vijayendra and Opposition leader R Ashoka slammed the CM for making the offer by neglecting the interests of locals.
The CM wrote a letter on Monday to his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan reminding him of his government’s offer to build 100 houses for the affected families. His office conveyed the same to Kerala chief secretary, too, but there had been no response, the CM said.
Taking his offer ahead, Siddaramaiah said his government was ready to buy land in Wayanad and build homes, while seeking speedy coordination from Kerala to ensure swift progress and relief to the displaced families. Picking up on this, Kerala Opposition leader VD Satheesan (Congress) on Wednesday attacked the Left government, accusing it of being indifferent to the needs of victims in Wayanad.
In Bengaluru, Vijayendra saw Siddaramaiah’s move as the one targeted at pleasing AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who won from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in the November bypolls. Both during the election campaign and after her win, Gandhi Vadra had been highlighting the plight of victims, promising to press both the central and state governments to provide immediate succour.
“Karnataka’s roads have more potholes than tar, investments are slipping to Telangana, North Karnataka remains neglected, and unemployment is rising. Yet, CM Siddarama, who earlier promised to build houses in Kerala, now wants to double down by buying land to facilitate this,” said the BJP leader in a post on X. “Are you working for the people of Karnataka or for the Gandhi family? Does this reflect the priorities of a leader committed to Karnataka? Our State deserves leadership that prioritizes its people and development, not one who sidelines the State’s needs for political appeasement,” his post read.
Opposition leader R Ashoka too joined his party colleague and said Siddaramaiah, weighed down by the taint of corruption and struggling to save his position, was now trying to please the AICC leadership using the state taxpayers’ money. The government has no money to compensate farmers for crop damages, to or to fill potholes in Bengaluru, he said.
Wayanad district is returning to normalcy after about 250 persons died in disastrous landslides caused by rains and swollen streams on July 30, destroying homes and livelihoods. Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala suffered the worst catastrophe.
