Karnataka govt. has no moral right to hold celebration: Ashok

Ahead of the convention being organised by the Congress government to mark its third anniversary, the BJP on Monday maintained that the goverment did not have moral right to hold such anniversary celebrations at a time when the State was witnessing a sad trend of farmers’ suicides.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok squarely blamed the Congress government for the farm distress, resulting in suicides of farmers by alleging that the anti-farmer policies of the government were responsible for it.

“While farmers’ suicides across the country have decreased by 2.22%, in Karnataka they have increased by 22.61%. In 2023, there were 2,423 farmers’ suicide cases; in 2024, this rose to 2,971. According to the NCRB report, Karnataka stands second in the country in farmers’ suicides. This is the Congress government’s “Sixth Guarantee,” he said.

He maintained that going ahead with the anniversary celebrations in such a sad time would amount to indulging in politics over the graves of farmers.

He alleged that the government had failed to provide adequate funds to farmers’ welfare in the State Budget despite making a pre-poll promise of ensuring their development.

Accusing the government of failure to respond to the problems of farmers, he alleged that the government’s much publicised guarantee schemes had turned out to be “Suicide Guarantee”, “No Crop Compensation Guarantee”, “No Water Guarantee”, and “No Three-Phase Power Guarantee” for farmers.

Accusing the government of being apathetic towards farmers’ problems, Mr. Ashok alleged that the government had not bothered to help them though standing crops on thousands of acres were destroyed in natural calamities

Alleging that ₹12 crore had been demanded from the government for holding the third anniversary convention, he maintained that this would amount to misuse of funds as this was nothing but a Congress political convention.

“People’s tax money is being looted in the name of such conventions. The real intention behind organising this event with ₹12 crore budget is to siphon off ₹8 crore,” he alleged.