Mandya: Agriculture minister N Cheluvarayaswamy reacted sharply to Union minister HD Kumaraswamy’s remarks that the state govt was not cooperating in the establishment of industries. He questioned Kumaraswamy’s contribution to the state’s industrial growth, asking him to “release a list of factories he brought and the jobs he created.”Cheluvarayaswamy said, “I don’t feel like commenting on Kumaraswamy. He appears in Mandya once in six months or a year, creates confusion, and disappears again.” Kumaraswamy represents the Mandya Lok Sabha segment.The MP grants are available to all, and that is not a special achievement. If Kumaraswamy brought additional grants, that would be worth appreciation, he told reporters. He further accused Kumaraswamy of misleading the public, saying, “Kumaraswamy should not boast about bringing CSR funds. He has not solved even the issues related to the Bengaluru–Mysuru National Highway. Let him sit with the Prime Minister and address the state’s problems instead of spreading lies.“Cheluvarayaswamy added that despite several proposals being submitted to the Union govt, Kumaraswamy has neither met the chief minister nor the industries minister to discuss development. “Even when there was a fertiliser shortage, I wrote to him, but he did not respond,” he noted and added that 1.4 million hectares of crops were damaged across 15 districts in the state due to heavy rainfall. The govt released compensation, which is Rs 8,500 per acre more than the relief prescribed by the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), he said.He asserted that the participation of govt officials in the RSS march was inappropriate, as the RSS is an affiliate of the BJP. “The RSS march is an activity of that organisation. The govt’s decision is final regarding the restrictions on such activities,” he asserted.Responding to concerns over pending payments to contractors, he said, “Should we stop all development works just to clear contractors’ dues? The works were undertaken without funds. We will clear the dues, but development will not stop.”
