Gowda seeks resignation of PM, Krishna

By Our Staff Correspondent

TUMKUR, NOV. 25. The former Prime Minister. Mr. H. D. Deve Gowda, has demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, and the Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, for their ``failure'' to protect the interests of farmers.

Mr. Gowda was addressing a farmers' rally at Belavattu village in Gubbi taluk of Tumkur District on Saturday evening.

He said Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Krishna had no genuine concern for poor farmers. ``I have evidence to prove it.''

Mr. Gowda said over 65 million tonnes of foodgrains were rotting in godowns even as people in many parts of the country, including Orissa, were dying of starvation. The Vajpayee Government had failed to arrange timely distribution of foodgrains for the poor, he added.

Mr. Gowda said: ``The country's national income is in the range of Rs. 255 lakh crore. But the Vajpayee Government hardly allocates Rs. 8,000 crore to Rs. 10,000 crore for the benefit of farmers, who constitute 80 per cent of the population. Where does the rest of the money go?''

In Karnataka, he said, 150 farmers had committed suicide in the past two years as they were unable to bear the burden of debt. The Krishna Government had done nothing to prevent this. ``I allocated Rs. 250 crore for providing drinking water in villages. Not a single farmer committed suicide nor a single person died of hunger during my regime,'' he claimed.

Mr. Deve Gowda said the 13 per cent increase in power tariff in the State was a hasty decision. Instead, the Government should have reduced power theft. He demanded that the power tariff increase be withdrawn and quality power supplied to irrigation pumpsets at least for 10 hours a day.

He was surprised that Mr. Krishna, who promised to be a pro- farmer Chief Minister at Gubbi on Tuesday, decided to increase power tariff two days later.

Mr. Siddaramaiah, former Deputy Chief Minister, said the theft of power was 16 per cent during the Janata Dal Government. It shot up to 38 per cent soon after the Congress came to power.

He said the State Treasury had become empty because of the liberal taxation policy followed by the Krishna Government with regard to industry. In a few months, the Government would have no money to pay salaries to the government staff. Mr. Krishna was holding parleys with international financial institutions to secure funds on the pretext of development, he alleged.

Mr. K. H. Srinivasa, Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Council, termed the S. M. Krishna Government as the ``worst'' he had seen in the last 30 years.

Mr. G. S. Shivananjappa, former MLA (Gubbi), who recently joined the Janata Dal (Secular) at the reported invitation of Mr. Deve Gowda, said farmers who were tapping neera at Gubbi were harassed by police and excise officials.

Ms. Prafullah Madhukar, MLC, Mr. D. Nagarajaiah, Mr. B. Satyanarayana, and Ms. B. T. Lalita Naik, former ministers, and Mr. Gangahanumaiah, former MLA (Madhugiri), spoke.

Mr. Deve Gowda, who arrived three hours behind schedule, was given a rousing reception at Mr. Shivananjappa's residence in Tumkur. He was taken in a procession to the venue of the rally. His visit to Gubbi taluk, coming as it does after three days of Mr. Krishna's tour, assumed political significance.

Mr. Deve Gowda called on Dr. Shivakumar Swamiji of Siddaganga Math. Sources close to the swamiji said the two discussed the latest political developments. The swamiji had been under pressure from the middle-level leadership of the Janata Dal factions to facilitate the ``unity of the two factions.''

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