While Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said that there was no need to seek Central funds for flood relief measures as the Karnataka government has enough money, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa disagrees with it.
Tejasvi Surya, while visiting the flood-affected Belagavi district on Friday (September 20), had claimed that the state government is financially sound to provide support to the affected areas and the government is not depended on Centre, to which CM Yediyurappa countered that the state is not doing well economically and needs urgent help from the Centre.
When the reporters asked Yediyurappa over Surya's remark, the CM said, "He should not say that. I will speak to him."
These contrastive dialogues by the saffron party leaders have confused the people about the economic status of the state. With the youngest and most dashing Member of Parliament from Karnataka claiming the state funds to be sufficient and the chief minister differing from his statement gives a totally distorted image of the state funds.
While Tejasvi Surya has criticised the Congress party for politically motivating the scenario as the Centre is delaying in the release of funds, it is unclear if the state actually has the said funds.
CM Yediyurappa was in Delhi on Sunday to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the immediate release of Rs 2,000 crore central assistance to take up relief works. In his reports, the CM stated that Karnataka has suffered a loss of Rs 38,451 crore owing to excessive rain and floods.
According to the reports, Amit Shah has also assured that flood relief and other emergency works will not be affected in Karnataka, as they have been exempted from the purview of the poll code. However, a decision on the release of funds will likely be taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to India, said Yediyurappa.
