Chief minister DK Shivakumar
Chief minister DK Shivakumar said although govt was ready for a discussion on drought, the opposition disrupted the monsoon session. He said the special session offers a second opportunity to debate the issue. “Centre has given us time till Sept 27 to file objections on Kasturirangan report,” Shivakumar said in Saklespur. He said govt was committed to raising issues concerning people and was holding public interactions in Western Ghats districts including Hassan, Mysuru, Kodagu and Udupi. He said BJP-JD(S) opposition was ready for a debate but demanded that govt demonstrate its commitment to addressing drought before the session. Meanwhile, reacting to Union minister HD Kumaraswamy calling him ‘touring talkies’, Shivakumar said criticism is natural in politics, and he will take it in “a positive spirit”.
Hassan/Bengaluru: A three-day special session of the legislature beginning Monday is expected to witness a confrontation between governing Congress and BJP-JD(S) opposition over drought, Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats and the controversy over govt order on the truncated version of Vande Mataram at state functions. “While the previous govt under CM Siddaramaiah had already rejected the report, Centre dismissed our objections and sent it back for our response. Considering the report hurts livelihoods of our people, we have decided to call for a special session. At the last session, politics was more important for BJP, and farmers’ issues could not be discussed. Let BJP do their politics. We will work to find answers for our people’s livelihoods. However, opposition leader R Ashoka demanded that the session be extended to a week.
“We will decide the next course of action during the legislature session,” he said.