BJP targets CM Siddaramaiah over KSTDC promoting Wayanad
Bengaluru(PTI): The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation's (KSTDC) social media post promoting Wayanad in neighbouring Kerala as a tourist destination has drawn criticism from opposition BJP, which has hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, calling it "high command appeasement" to save chair.
Congress top leader Priyanka Gandhi is the Member of Parliament from Wayanad.
The KSTDC's post on 'X' on October 28, promoting its two-night and three-day tour package to the hill station said, " Seeking thrill or tranquillity? Find both in Wayanad! Trek scenic trails, chase waterfalls & meet the wild with KSTDC. Your perfect nature escape awaits."
Reacting to this, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Assembly, R Ashoka asked Siddaramaiah as to how long will Karnataka tolerate a Chief Minister who behaves like "Wayanad's District Collector and fund raiser"?
"You (Siddaramaiah) signed off Rs 10 crore of Karnataka taxpayers' money to Wayanad at lightning speed. You gave away Rs 15 lakhs to the family of a man killed by an elephant. You announced to build 100 houses in Wayanad after landslide. You used KSTDC, Karnataka's own tourism corporation, to promote Wayanad tourism - Priyanka Gandhi's constituency," he posted on 'X' on Thursday.
Pointing out that north Karnataka faced floods, he further said, farmers are suffering, homes washed away, 12.5 lakh hectares of crop damage, but compensation still stuck in files, surveys, excuses, speeches and photo-ops.
"Where is the compensation and flood relief for Kalaburagi, Raichur, Yadgir, Bidar, Vijayapura, Bagalkot and Belagavi? Where is the urgency? What are your priorities?" He asked.
Accusing the CM of moving money to another state faster than he moved money to his own disaster-hit farmers, the BJP leader claimed, "This is not charity. This is High command appeasement to save chair."
"Karnataka doesn't need a CM who bows to the Fake Gandhi Family, spends our treasury like it's High Command's ATM, and forgets his own state's farmers who put food on his table," he said.
"We elected a Chief Minister of Karnataka, not a Puppet of Delhi, not a Brand Ambassador of Wayanad," Ashoka said.
Urging the CM to release full compensation to farmers immediately, he said, "Stop looting Karnataka's money to please fake Gandhi family. Karnataka First. Not Wayanad First."
Another BJP leader and former Minister C T Ravi said, the KSTDC, which is supposed to develop tourism in Karnataka, is inviting Kannadigas to Wayanad.
"Does Wayanad belong to Karnataka? Or has KSTDC become Kerala? The Congress government is going to pawn the honour of Kannada Nadu to please its party leader Priyanka Gandhi," he posted on 'X'.
ನಮ್ಮ KSTDC ಇರುವುದು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕಕ್ಕೋ, ಕೇರಳಕ್ಕೋ ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ!
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) October 29, 2025
ಸಿಎಂ @siddaramaiah ಮತ್ತು ಸಚಿವ @HKPatilINC ಅವರೇ, ನಮ್ಮ ಚಿಕ್ಕಮಗಳೂರು, ಕೊಡಗು, ಉತ್ತರ ಕನ್ನಡ, ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗ ಕಾಣಲಿಲ್ಲವೇ? ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕಾ ಗಾಂಧಿಯನ್ನು ಮೆಚ್ಚಿಸಲು ನಮ್ಮ ಕರುನಾಡನ್ನೇ ಕಡೆಗಣಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ?
ವಯನಾಡಿನ ಜನರಿಗೆ ಮನೆ, ಆನೆ ದಾಳಿಯಿಂದ… pic.twitter.com/ZPe5KHCsOf
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Two girls injured in separate wolf attacks in UP's Bahraich
Bahraich (UP) (PTI): Two minor girls were injured in separate incidents of wolf attacks in the Bahraich district, forest department officials said on Saturday.
In the first incident on Friday, Anushka Nishad (5), daughter of Baliram from Mallahanpurwa village, was sleeping alone inside her house when a wolf entered and tried to carry her away, they said.
Hearing her screams, family members and villagers rushed to the spot. The wolf left the child, hearing the commotion, and ran towards the fields. The girl sustained minor injuries from the animal's teeth, the officials said.
Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav described the attack as deliberate and cleverly planned, as it occurred precisely when Anushka's mother went out for a few moments.
On the same day, Nancy (4), daughter of Kamlesh Yadav, was playing outside her house in Baburi Tola village when a wolf suddenly attacked and dragged her away.
Villagers raised an alarm, and the wolf released the child and ran towards the sugarcane fields. The injured child was sent to the Kaiserganj Community Health Centre for treatment.
Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav told reporters that both attacks involved wolves, adding that the entire area is plagued by the animal's activity.
Since September 9, such attacks in the Bahraich district have claimed 10 lives, including eight children and an elderly couple, and injured dozens of people, the officials said.
District Magistrate Akshay Tripathi met the families of the victims on Friday and consoled them.
