Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday defended Karnataka’s decision to convene a three day special legislature session to discuss the Kasturirangan report and drought, while BJP state president B Y Vijayendra demanded that the sitting be extended to at least a week to allow a fuller debate on the issues.
“This should not be my personal decision. He accused the government of responding to pressure from the Opposition. Shivakumar, meanwhile, rejected the suggestion that the government had called the session merely to manage a political demand. “I did not simply come and sit here. I have gone to the four divisions of the state, held meetings there and personally assessed the situation.
Karnataka has to communicate its decision to the Centre by September 27, he said. The chief minister said the report covered 19,252 sq km of Karnataka’s Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive area, with another 961 sq km proposed for inclusion, including 3,138 acres of private farmers’ land. Some had also suggested seeking special status under Article 371, he said.
Shivakumar said the government could have simply sent its earlier decision on the Kasturirangan report to the Centre, but chose to seek wider views before taking a final position. This special session has been called to collect the views of farmers, ordinary people and representatives from those areas and discuss the drought, farmers’ problems and the Kasturirangan report,” he said. The chief minister said other suggestions included forming a technical committee, taking an all party delegation to the Centre and passing resolutions in both Houses. Vijayendra also said the special session had been convened only after sustained BJP protests and referred to the party’s Ballari Chalo padayatra. Many decisions have already been taken on how our government should help the people,” he said.
The exchange set the terms for the special session, with the government saying it wanted farmers, legislators and other stakeholders to shape Karnataka’s response to the Kasturirangan report, and the BJP arguing that three days would not be enough to address the concerns before the state.
