The Opposition BJP on Tuesday petitioned Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot about the alleged delay in the payment of drought relief to farmers by the Congress government. They urged that the Congress government should either pay the compensation or quit.
A delegation of BJP leaders, led by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok and comprising former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and D.V. Sadananda Gowda, among others, met the Governor at Raj Bhavan and submitted the petition seeking his intervention in the matter.
The BJP delegation alleged that the Congress government was yet to pay drought relief compensation of ₹2,000 each to farmers that was announced before the commencement of the winter session of the State legislature.
Alleging that over 600 farmers had committed suicide unable to bear the farm crisis due to drought gripping the State, Mr. Ashok said the government had not taken the issue seriously. None of the Ministers had even visited the families of farmers who had committed suicide, he alleged.
Though more than five months had passed since the State started reeling under drought, the government had not taken up any drought relief measures on the ground, he alleged. Claiming that the erstwhile BJP government headed by Mr. Bommai had taken up relief measures on its own without waiting for the Central aid, he said the Congress government too should immediately start drought relief works without blaming the Centre.
