BJP padayatra concludes, BYV seeks Rs 200 crore for rural roads

BALLARI: BJP state president B Y Vijayendra on Thursday demanded that the Congress government release Rs 200 crore for rural road development in each of the state’s 224 Assembly constituencies, saying that villages across Karnataka were suffering due to poor road infrastructure.

Addressing the concluding programme of the BJP’s 10-day ‘Ballari Chalo’ padayatra in Ballari, Vijayendra accused the state government of neglecting rural areas and failing to provide adequate funds for development works.

He said rural roads were riddled with potholes and MLAs were not being provided sufficient funds for development. “Release Rs 200 crore for road development in every Assembly constituency,” he demanded. He also accused the Congress government of failing to effectively tackle the drug mafia in the state. Vijayendra said the government lacked serious concern about curbing the menace.

He accused the Congress government of neglecting farmers and criticised it for pointing fingers at the Centre over drought relief and loan waiver of up to Rs 5 lakh for farmers. “The government says, ‘Come, let us go to Delhi and ask the Centre,’” he said, questioning why the state government was not taking adequate measures on its own.

Calling the ‘Ballari Chalo’ programme a historic success, Vijayendra said the BJP would continue its struggle to bring a government that was pro-farmer and pro-poor. He said the party’s “real struggle” had begun and would continue until an NDA government was brought to power in Karnataka.

Vijayendra accused the Congress government of neglecting the development of North Karnataka and said the Congress government diverted Rs 45,000 crore allocated under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) to other departments and demanded that the funds be restored.

He warned the Congress government that continued neglect of farmers, poor and downtrodden communities could lead to public anger against it.