Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday accused the Central government of maintaining complete silence on the mounting agricultural distress in North Karnataka, particularly the plight of sugarcane and maize farmers struggling with low prices and unsold produce. While acknowledging that the state government has taken costly measures to procure crops and support growers, Shivakumar emphasised that the Centre bears equal responsibility for resolving the region’s chronic challenges.
Shivakumar singled out BJP MPs from the state, including former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, for failing to raise the farmers’ issues in Parliament. He questioned why Bommai and other representatives were shifting the entire burden onto the state government instead of pressing the Union government for intervention, financial assistance, or policy support during ongoing parliamentary sessions.
On irrigation development, the Deputy CM asserted that no previous administration has matched the scale of work executed under his tenure as irrigation minister. Challenging the opposition to bring specific allegations during the upcoming Assembly session, he declared readiness to present detailed achievements and counter any criticism on project implementation across the state.
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Separately, Shivakumar launched a sharp personal attack on Punjab Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu over her recent remark alleging that Rs 500 crore was required to secure a chief ministerial post. Dismissing the statement as baseless and irrational, he suggested that anyone making such claims required psychiatric evaluation.
The Deputy CM’s strong statements have intensified the political confrontation between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP, highlighting deepening fault lines over agricultural policy, central-state relations, and accountability for North Karnataka’s long-standing developmental concerns.
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