Farmers' suicide cases on rise in K'taka: Congress

Bangalore, Dec 26: Former Karantaka Deputy Chief Minister andsenior Congress leader S Sidharamaiah today accused the JD(S)-BJPcoalition government of failing to check the incidents of farmerssuicide ever since it came to power in Karantaka.

Speaking at a felicitation ceremony of former Karnataka ChiefMinister N Dharam Singh, on his 70th birth day, here today MrSidharamaiah said the Congress led coalition government in the statehad initiated several pro-farmers programmes resulting into reductionof farmers suicide cases in Karnataka.

However, ever since the JD(S)-BJP combine came to power the numberof suicide cases were increasing as government was not bothered aboutthe plights of farming community.

Mr Sidharamaiah had alleged that the Chief Minister H DKumaraswamy had failed to implement all the pro-farmer programmes takenup by the previous Congress government in the state and was onlyinterested in staying in power.

He also accused that former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowdaterminated the JD(S)-Congress alliance with self interest of making hisson the Chief Minister of the state.

JD(S) dissident leader and former minister P G R Sindhia who alsospoke on the occasion accused that all the infrastructure projects inthe state came to halt in the JD(S)-BJP combine government inKarantaka.

Earlier, rich tributes were paid to former Karantaka ChiefMinister and opposition leader in the Karnataka assembly N Dharam Singhwho turned 70 here today. Union Ministers Oscar Fernandes, K HMuniyappa and M V Rajashekaran, former Union Railway minister C KJaffer Sharief, Deputy Chairman in the Rajya Sabha K Rahaman Khan, KPCCPresident Mallikarjuna Kharge were also present at the occasion.

UNI