Karnataka BJP MLA questions Centre over lack of funds for flood relief, BJP issues show-cause notice

Bengaluru: A show-cause notice has been issued to Karnataka BJP MLA for questioning the Centre for alleged lack of funds for flood relief. The notice was issued to Basangouda Patil Yatnal, who represents Vijayapura, for spreading lies.

This comes after Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa issued a clarification yesterday saying that the state had sufficient funds to implement effective flood relief measures and further slammed the opposition’s claim that the Centre had not released additional funds for the state.

Rejecting the opposition’s claim that the Centre had not released funds for the state the CM said that the Congress should not confuse the people by spreading lies.  

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi was outside the country, now he has come back. I have spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah about the prevailing situation in the state,” he said while talking to the media in Bengaluru.

He further said that all kinds of assistance were being given to the affected areas adding that funds for rehabilitation in the state had already been released.

Yediyurappa's statement comes just a day after the Karnataka Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) alleged that PM Modi’s "indifferent behaviour" towards the state on the issue of extending flood relief funds was a matter of grave concern for the state reeling from severe floods.

Maharashtra released excess water due to which the North Karnataka districts of Belagavi, Bijapur, Raichur, Kalburgi, Yadgir and Uttara Kannada were severely affected. Later, heavy rainfall lashed the state in August leading to flash floods and landslides in many areas. 22 of the state's 30 districts were affected due to floods.

Meanwhile, after being asked whether rebel leaders who had resigned from their respective parties were planning to join the BJP, Yediyurappa said that the saffron party is ready to welcome everyone.

“We look forward to having them, whether they are from other parties or from our own,” the CM said.

The CM had also met the PM in August who assured him of central aid to speed up relief works in its flood-hit districts. During the meeting, the CM submitted a detailed report to the PM seeking Rs 10,000 crore relief funds from the Centre to rebuild houses, buildings, roads, highways, schools, state-run hospitals.

A government official aware of the development said that PM Modi had assured the CM of releasing central funds for relief works at the earliest. He further said that a central team will be rushed to the flood-hit state to assess the damage caused by heavy rains and floods across the state.