Merajuddin Patel takes over as JD(S) state unit President

Bangalore, Sep 3 (UNI) Newly appointed Karnataka unit President of Janata Dal(S), Mirajuddin Patel, today took great exception to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming credit for initiating several pro-people programmes, including waiver of farm loans and Rs three per kilo rice for poor.

''This achievement belongs to JD(S) the partner in the coalition government in Karantaka and not the BJP,'' he claimed, addressing partymen after taking over from the outgoing President and Home Minister M P Prakash.

He claimed that JD(S) was the only party in the country that was striving hard for the welfare of dalits, minorities, backward class communities and women.

Mr Patel charged that while BJP was only interested in protecting the interests of the industrialists and traders, the Congress worked all these years for the benefits of excise lobbies in the state.

He said it was because of JD(S) initiative that the coalition government took a decision to waive-off farm loans upto Rs 25000, which no other state governments dared to do. ''It is because of JD(S) party leaders the state government is continuing distribution of rice for Rs three per kilo to the poorer sections in the society'' he also claimed.

Dismissing the notion that minorities had distanced themselves from JD(S) after it allied with the BJP in Karnataka, Mr Patel said that even in the past, leaders like Ramakrishna Hegde and V P Singh had became Chief Minsiters of Karnataka and Prime Minister of the country with the help of BJP.

Emphasising that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had decided to join hands with BJP only to save the party from destruction, he said ''While accepting the support from BJP our party's programmes and ideals were never compromised'' he said.

UNI