Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Accuses Union Home Minister Amit Shah of Misrepresentation Regarding Drought Memorandum
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of disseminating misinformation by alleging that Karnataka delayed submitting its memorandum to the Centre for drought relief.
Speaking in Mysuru on April 3, Siddaramaiah affirmed that the State Government had submitted its drought relief memorandum three times by October 2023, well before the Central team visited Karnataka to assess the situation on the ground.
Challenging Shah’s assertions, Siddaramaiah declared that if proven false, he would resign and questioned whether Shah would do the same if his accusations were unfounded.
In response to Shah’s accusation on April 2 regarding the delayed submission of the drought relief memorandum, Siddaramaiah recalled his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 19, 2023, seeking Central aid. He also mentioned his meeting with Shah the following day, where he was informed of a high-level committee meeting scheduled for December 23 to decide on Central aid.
Despite these efforts, Central aid has not materialized even after four months. Siddaramaiah questioned Shah’s credibility to seek votes in Karnataka if Central aid remained withheld, denouncing Shah’s statements as outright lies.
Siddaramaiah emphasized that the State Government had submitted all pertinent documents, including declarations of drought, memorandum submission dates, and records of meetings with the Prime Minister and Home Minister, to the Supreme Court when seeking relief under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
He highlighted that Central aid from NDRF is mandated to be released as per the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission during natural calamities, and criticized the delay in fund disbursement, urging the people to hold the BJP accountable.
In a tweet, Siddaramaiah pointed out that the Union Agriculture Ministry forwarded the Karnataka Government’s proposal to the High-Level Committee chaired by the Union Home Minister in November 2023, expressing dismay over the delay in providing aid to farmers in need.
