Karwar: “While Uttar Pradesh has waived the farmers’ loan and Maharashtra has made some announcement in this regard, then how could Karnataka government not do the same?” BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Addressing a public rally here on Wednesday, Yeddyurappa said since Siddaramaiah assumed office as the chief minister, the state is passing through a turbulent phase. Firstly, the standing crops of farmers have been damaged due to unseasonal rain and drought prevailed for three years. But the government has hardly come to the rescue of farmers and its approach towards these problem is irresponsible, he charged. He said he will be leading a massive protest in Bengaluru on July 10 against the state government’s apathy in addressing the problems of farmers and waiving their loans.

“Siddaramaiah should waive the loans availed by farmers from the cooperative societies instead of waiting for the Centre’s decision,” the BJP leader said. Reacting to Siddaramaiah’s sarcastic comment on the BJP’s drought assessment tour, Yeddyurappa said some pockets of the state might have received rain, but still majority of the districts are facing drinking water scarcity due to the laxity of the government.

The party members have been asked to raise this issue in the ongoing session, he added. Saying that he was against the Kasturirangan report on announcing Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive zone, Yeddyurappa lashed out at the state government for not taking proper decisionat right time. “The government was not bothered to reply on right time. Therefore such a situation has arrived. There are many laws to protect the rights of people living in the forest areas. But, the state government is not supporting them,” he alleged.

Earlier, MP Anant Kumar Hegde accused Siddaramaiah of adopting “divide and rule” policy to be in power. People of the state are fed up with the Congress government and they are eagerly for the election to teach it a lesson , he said.

Former ministers Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri and Kumar Bangarappa, district BJP president K G Naik, party leaders Rajesh Naik, Nagaraj Joshi, Roopali Naik and Ganapathi Ulvekar were present.