Does being prime minister mean he is dictator of country: CM Siddaramaiah
Hassan (Karnataka), Nov 7: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday wondered whether being a prime minister means becoming a dictator, hours after his predecessor B S Yediyurappa accused him of making "irresponsible" comments about the Narendra Modi government.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru earlier in the day, Yediyurappa hit out at Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar for their comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.
"If they have the arrogance to criticise the prime minister who is respected globally, people will teach them a lesson," the former chief minister said.
Hitting back, Siddaramaiah said, "Does being a prime minister mean he is the dictator of the country? Should he (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) speak against me?
"What is there to talk about Karnataka during the election campaigning in Madhya Pradesh? There is an election happening in Madhya Pradesh, why is he talking about Karnataka?" Siddaramaiah asked.
When asked whether Siddaramaiah thought that PM Modi was scared of him, the Karnataka chief minister said, "It is possible. I also think so."
To the allegation that he often blamed the BJP-led Union government for everything, including the drought, the chief minister said he was only asking for money from the Centre to deal with the severe drought in the state.
"Shouldn't we ask for money? Is asking for money equivalent to picking up a fight? We live in a federal system. The Centre and the states should function in coordination. If there is drought in Karnataka, then the Centre has a responsibility (towards it)," Siddaramaiah said.
He pointed out that the people of Karnataka pay taxes to the Centre and hence they too have the right to ask for money.
"Who pays taxes to Centre? Is it not the people of the state who pay taxes to the Centre? Is there any other set of people who pays taxes to the Centre?" Siddaramaiah posed.
The chief minister said the state has suffered a crop loss to the tune of Rs 33,700 crore due to drought. Accordingly, Karnataka has demanded Rs 17,900 crore from the Centre, he said.
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Rains lash several parts of Tamil Nadu, cyclonic storm brewing
Chennai (PTI): Rains lashed several parts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, and the India Meteorological Department said the depression over Bay of Bengal has formed into a deep depression and it is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm on November 27.
Chief Minister M K Stalin chaired a high-level meeting here at the Secretariat to review the precautionary measures and rushed NDRF and State teams to Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagappatinam and Cuddalore districts.
Chennai and nearby districts of Chengelpet, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur, the northern coastal city of Cuddalore and Cauvery delta areas, including Nagapattinam were among the places that received rainfall, which was mild to moderate in many areas and heavy in a few places.
Due to the rains, heavy traffic congestion was witnessed here in many areas including the arterial OMR Road and traffic flow was affected in several areas as roads came under sheets of water. Also, in Chennai, there was delay in the landing of 7 flights.
State-run Aavin said it has taken all steps to ensure unhindered milk supply to the people and announced that eight of its parlours here will be open 24 x 7.
Stalin, through video conferencing, reviewed the action plan to tackle the situation. Very heavy rainfall forecast covers the districts of Mayiladuthurai, Villupuram, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Cuddalore. District collectors and IAS officials, tasked with monitoring and coordinating rain-related tasks took part in the meeting.
Collectors apprised the chief minister that adequate number of relief camps and medical teams were on standby and all other necessary arrangements were in place too. Stalin told officials that relief centres must be 'ready with all the amenities' and people should be evacuated in advance from low lying areas.
An official release here said that two NDRF teams have been dispatched to Thanjavur district. For each of the districts of Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagappatinam and Cuddalore, two teams ---one from NDRF and the other from the State-- have been dispatched.
Also in such districts, first-responders and volunteers are also ready for deployment. "Already, fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea and a majority of boats have returned to shore."
As regards fishermen who have gone for deep sea fishing, they have been informed to move to the nearest harbours.
The state and district level emergency operation centres are functioning 24 x 7.
Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, KKSSR Ramachandran, Chief Secretary N Muruganandam and top state officials participated in the meeting chaired by the chief minister.
According to the IMD, the depression over Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression and it is about 770 km south-southeast of Chennai and 570 km south-southeast of Nagapattinam.
In its update, the IMD said on 'X': "It is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards and intensify further into a cyclonic storm on 27th November. Thereafter, it will continue to move north-northwestwards towards Tamil Nadu coast skirting Sri Lanka coast during subsequent 2 days."
