Legislature winter session begins Monday; Opposition to corner Coalition govt over agrarian issues
Belagavi, Dec 9: The winter session of the Karnataka legislature, set to begin here from Monday, is likely to be a stormy affair with the opposition BJP expected to corner the government over a host of issues, including farmer suicides and alleged lack of clarity and delay in the implementation of the farm loan waiver.
Coalition worries within the ruling Congress-JDS alliance and disgruntlement over the delay in the cabinet expansion may also cast a shadow over the session.
The saffron party has already announced a large-scale protest meet in Belagavi, likely to be attended by over one lakh farmers, during the session to corner the government on agrarian issues.
With 100 taluks in 24 districts of Karnataka being declared drought-hit, BJP leaders are likely to take on the state government over relief and mitigation measures.
"The chief minister has confined himself to Old Mysuru region. We will raise farmers issues both inside and outside the House. Tomorrow, we are gathering more than one lakh farmers to send a strong message to the government," Leader of Opposition in the Assembly B S Yeddyurappa said.
The animosity between Yeddyurappa and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who have been indulging in a verbal duel, and the results of Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Mizoram to be declared on Tuesday, is expected to add spice to the heated atmosphere in the legislature.
The BJP, which is the single-largest party in the 224-member Assembly with 104 MLAs, has been alleging that the government has "not taken off" even six months after being in power.
Hitting back at this, Kumaraswamy has said the coalition government will hold its performance to the BJP chief Yeddyurappa's "face", during the session.
The JD(S)-Congress government's worries may be heightened with sugarcane farmers in Belagavi district threatening to intensify their protest over demands for clearance of their arrears by sugar factories and announcement of purchase price for sugarcane for the current season as had been done in neighbouring Maharashtra.
Sugarcane farmers had withdrawn their protest last month following assurances from the government that their issues would be resolved. They have now threatened to resume it during the session, alleging that the government has not kept its word.
Issues within the ruling coalition are troubling the government, whose longevity and stability has been questioned repeatedly. Several legislators, especially those from the Congress, are reportedly unhappy over delay in cabinet expansion and functioning of the coalition government.
With some Congress MLAs allegedly threatening to boycott the winter session, the ruling coalition's coordination committee, that met on Wednesday, decided to expand the Kumaraswamy ministry on December 22, soon after the session ends.
Amid all this, speculations are also rife about the BJP still trying to poach some disgruntled Congress MLAs, as part of its efforts to come back to power in Karnataka.
Many Congress MLAs have even complained to their party leaders about the style of functioning of a few JD(S) ministers, including CM Kumaraswamy's brother and PWD minister H D Revanna, and alleged discrimination towards them in developmental and constituency-related matters.
For the BJP too, it remains to be seen to what extent the party will stay united in raising issues and fighting the the ruling alliance on the floor of the House. Reports of differences within the state BJP and Yeddyurappa allegedly losing grip over it have been emerging recently.
On the other hand, Kumaraswamy, whose administration has been accused of being apathetic towards north Karnataka and concentrating only on the southern districts, that too the Vokkaliga-dominated old Mysuru region which is a bastion of his party, now has an opportunity to bridge the gap during the session.
This will be the first Assembly session for the Congress-JD(S) government in Belagavi, a town in north Karnataka, bordering Maharashtra, that has been hosting legislature session once a year since 2006.
The move was initiated by the JD(S)-BJP coalition government, with Kumaraswamy as chief minister. Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, modelled after the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat in Bengaluru, was built during the BJP government as an assertion that Belagavi is an integral part of Karnataka.
Maharashtra claims that Belagavi should belong to it.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
