Cong failed to respond to plight of farmers of northern Karnataka: Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday accused the Opposition Congress of failing to respond to the plight of farmers of the northern part of the state when it was in power.

Addressing the 'Jan Swaraj' Yatra organised by the BJP against the backdrop of the legislative council polls in Koppal, Bommai reminded the people of the Congress' "Padayatra (march)" towards Krishna with a promise of spending Rs 10,000 crore annually and Rs 50,000 crore during its five-year term to complete all the irrigation projects in the Krishna river basin.

"However, none of the works in the basin were taken up. Congress betrayed the people of northern Karnataka," Bommai charged.

It is a matter of some consolation that the present BJP government provided Rs 2,100 crore for the modernisation of the Tungabhadra left bank canal, he said.

Referring to the construction of a balancing reservoir to the Tungabhadra dam as the capacity of the dam has been reduced due to accumulation of silt, the chief minister said a detailed project report (DPR) had been prepared for the project at a cost of Rs 20 crore.

All measures will be taken to fulfil this long-pending demand of farmers of the region, Bommai said.

The chief minister alleged that the Congress did not take up irrigation projects for Koppal as none of its ministers bothered to care for the projects.

BJP's commitment for the development of north Karnataka was further amplified by the decision of former chief minister B S Yediyurappa to rename the Hyderabad-Karnataka region as Kalyana Karnataka.

"Our government has decided to provide Rs 3,000 crore for the development of the Kalyana Karnataka region. It is committed to build a secure and prosperous Karnataka," Bommai told the gathering.

Legislative council elections for 25 seats will take place on December 10.