Gurmitkal, Yadgir left out of drought list: Karnataka JD(S) MLA stages protest

Bengaluru: JD(S) MLA from Gurmitkal, Sharanagouda Kandakur, staged a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Monday, opposing the exclusion of Gurmitkal and Yadgir taluks from the first and second lists of drought-hit taluks declared by the Karnataka government.

Wearing black clothes and a green shawl, Kandakur held placards and demanded that the government immediately include the two regions in the drought-hit list.

“My constituency is facing drought. Despite this, the government has not declared it drought-hit. Those in the government have developed a fever when it comes to Sharanagouda. My constituency has not found a place in either of the two lists,” he said.

Questioning the government’s decision, Kandakur alleged that only 17 constituencies represented by BJP-JD(S) members had been declared drought-hit and asked, “Does drought occur only in Congress constituencies?”

He said he had been assured that Gurmitkal and Yadgir would be included in the third list of drought-hit areas. However, he warned that failure to include the regions would raise questions about whether the decision was politically motivated.

“I will not tell you what I will do if my constituency is not included in the third list. I will show you what I can do,” he warned.

Kandakur said he had boycotted the district Karnataka Development Programme meeting over the issue and claimed that people and various organisations had already begun protesting against the exclusion of the region.

“The people have sent me to Vidhana Soudha, and I am staging my protest here to draw the attention of the government,” he said.

He further alleged that the exclusion of Gurmitkal and Yadgir could be aimed at targeting him politically and curtailing his influence in the constituency.

“Whatever the reason may be, the government should declare Gurmitkal and Yadgir as drought-prone areas,” he demanded.

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