The Congress in Karnataka Thursday demanded that the Centre declare the unprecedented flood situation in the state as a 'national calamity' and immediately release Rs 5,000 crore to carry out relief work.
Karnataka Congress Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately visit the state.
"We have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the situation in Karnataka is grave. We want the prime minister to declare it as a national calamity. We want Centre to release Rs 5,000 crore," Rao told reporters here.
The state Congress president said at least one lakh hectares of land have been inundated and about 15 people have lost their lives.
Hitting out at chief minister B S Yediyurappa, Rao said he was focussed only on cabinet formation and transfers of officers instead of the grim flood situation.
"As an opposition leader, Yediyurappa's sole aim had been to topple our government instead of doing his duty. Now that he is the chief minister, his only objective is to save his government," he alleged.
The Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by H D Kumaraswamy collapsed last month after the group of rebel MLAs resigned, reducing the government to a minority.
Thereafter, the BJP staked claim to form the government and Yediyurappa was sworn in as Chief Minister on July 26.
Rao said all the Congress leaders, office-bearers and workers in Karnataka have been asked to donate generously to the Congress relief fund so that the party could carry out relief work.
The party has also assigned their leaders to oversee the relief work and provide assistance to the flood affected people.
Nearly 44,000 people have so far been evacuated from flood-hit and rain-affected areas of Karnataka, where the rain fury has left nine people dead, authorities said.
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