Date:01/08/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/08/01/stories/2005080110270400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Government will fall in a week: BJP

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party anticipates that the Congress-Janata Dal (S) coalition Government will "fall within a week."

The party executive committee, which met here on Sunday under the leadership of the State unit President, Jagadish Shettar, passed a resolution saying that the people had rejected the coalition, as the partners were friends in the legislature and foes outside it, and the situation was providing a lot of laughs. However, the people were not amused to see that all development works in the State have come to a standstill, while some of them have not even taken off.

The naxalite problem continues and everyone from village electricity representatives, land valuers, unemployed youth to anganwadi workers were making a beeline for Bangalore to protest the failures of the Government, Mr. Shettar said.

The BJP also noted that the Government had taken the farmers for a ride by not coming up with irrigation projects, or a strategy to solve the Cauvery and Krishna water disputes.

The Union Government has released Rs. 198 crores for slum improvement and development project, but the scheme has not been taken up because the State Government is yet to release its share of grant to the tune 25 per cent.

The BJP demanded that the interest waiver on farm loans be extended to loans from nationalised banks too.

The farmers who repaid loans on time should be given back the interest amount, Mr. Shettar said.