Date:25/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/25/stories/2008102552060300.htm

Karnataka

BJP has no faith in panchayat raj system: Deshpande

Staff Correspondent

Congress leaders campaign in favour of Mittu Chengappa

On a campaign: KPCC president R.V. Deshpande, working president D.K. Shivakumar and former MLA B.A. Jivijaya at a Congress meeting in Somwarpet on Friday.

Somwarpet (Kodagu): Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president R.V. Deshpande said on Friday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had no faith in the panchayat raj system of governance.

The contradicting statements with regard to doing away with taluk panchayats in the tree-tier panchayat raj system, by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Shobha Karandlaje indicated this, he said.

Mr. Deshpande was addressing a meeting to campaign in favour of party candidate B.G. Mittu Chengappa, who is contesting the byelection to the legislative Council from the local bodies’ constituency.

Mr. Yeddyurappa had stated that the taluk panchayat system would not be done away with while Ms. Shobha Karandlaje said that the system was not necessary. There was no coordination among the Ministers, he alleged. The BJP Government had failed on all fronts. Mr. Yeddyurappa was announcing new projects when the State coffers were empty.

Taxes were not being collected properly and there was heavy pilferage. The Yashasvini scheme and Stree Shakti groups started during the reign of S.M. Krishna were a success, Mr. Deshpande claimed. While the Krishna Government built 11 lakh Ashraya houses, the BJP Government built none. The BJP was going away from the people, he said. He appealed to the voters to elect Mr. Chengappa and show that the Congress was still a force to reckon with in the State. KPCC working president D.K .Shivakumar alleged that the people were frustrated with the BJP rule in the State.

He said: “Congress president Sonia Gandhi gave the responsibility of boosting the morale of the party in the State to me and Mr. Deshpande.” Failure to tackle power shortage, provide unemployment allowance to the youth and mix up in issuing BPL and APL cards were some of the “achievements” of the BJP in the past four-and-a-half months, he said.

Former Union Minister B. Janaradhana Poojary accused the State Government of “intimidating” the Opposition leaders in the State and creating a “fear psychosis” among the people.

Former KPCC president Mallikarjun Kharge urged party workers to strive for the victory of Mr. Chengappa.

Former Minister B.A. Jivijaya said the results of the October 31 byelection would have its impact on the byelection to the Assembly from eight segments. Former Minister D.B. Chandre Gowda, former Union Ministers M.V. Rajasekaran and Ambarish and Congress leader Ugrappa spoke. Mr. Chengappa appealed to the voters to support him in the byelection.