Ballari(Karnataka): Seen sleeping on the banks of Vedavati river near Paramadevan Halli in Karnataka's Ballari district on Tuesday night, Karnataka Transport Minister B Sriramulu on Wednesday trashed what many perceived to be a protest against the administration, noting he was dedicated to the work and was reviewing the same.
"I have not protested or staged a sit-in against anyone. As the farmers of this area appealed to me that their crops were facing problems, I instructed the officials to stay on the spot and complete the work immediately," he tweeted in response to a tweet by the state Congress unit.
"Due to the lack of water in the fields of Bellary Rural Assembly Constituency for the past 20 days, the crops including paddy and chili are drying up and the farmers are facing hardship. This is done for humanity and not for political gain.
I camped on the spot and gave moral support to the workers and farmers who were working on the canal. This was also the demand of the farmers. The aggrieved farmers had appealed that the work would be completed quickly if I was on the spot," he said.
Requesting to not involve politics in the situation, the legislator observed that the farmers had "given birth to him" as a politician, and therefore he wanted to 'respond to their pain'. "I am a people person. I have no desire to cook political crop by doing such retail politics," he said.
The structure in question, an overbridge near P D Halli which connects Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh borders, has a total of 58 pillars. The 15th pillar was completely washed away in flood. The subsequent repair work in the LLC (Low-level canal) led to water supply being shut off nearly three weeks back, resulting in crop difficulties for local farmers.
The issue was taken up on Wednesday by Karnataka Congress, which posed several questions to the BS Bommai-led state government while highlighting Sriramulu's presence at the spot. "@sriramulubjp himself. Against whom did he protest? Against your own government? Against your own CM? Against your own Prime Minister? Why are cabinet ministers protesting against their own double-engine government? Does no one listen to them? Or is it just a pushover government?" it said earlier in the day.
