Mysuru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday asserted that Congress is not against women’s reservation in state legislatures and Parliament.He was speaking after inaugurating the implementation of Rs 523 crore worth development works, mainly filling water to 110 lakes in Gundlupet taluk, at an event held at D Devaraj Urs Stadium in Gundlupet town in Chamarajanagar district.Siddaramaiah clarified that Congress and other opposition parties did not block the passage of the women’s reservation bill in Parliament. “BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are telling lies to people against Congress, claiming that it opposed the women’s reservation bill. Congress opposed the BJP-led NDA govt’s move on bringing constitutional amendment to delimitation along with the women’s reservation bill,” he explained.Congress is committed to a women’s reservation, he said, pointing out the Congress govt granted 50% women reservation in all panchayat bodies and urban local bodies after bringing the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Indian Constitution.BJP leaders who opposed the implementation of guarantee schemes in Karnataka, accusing that the state will go bankrupt, have now copied guarantee schemes and started to implement them in BJP-ruled states, he claimed.Siddaramaiah said the govt took up the project of filling water to 110 lakes of Gundlupet taluk at a cost of Rs 475 crore. The scheme appeared as a boon to people of this taluk as this initiative helps in rejuvenation of groundwater level, he said. Water is to be filled to 110 lakes of Gundlupet taluk after pumping water from Kapila River near Gandhigram in Nanjangud taluk.Deputy CM D K Shivakumar also hit back at Union minister H D Kumaraswamy, accusing him of telling lies to people over the Mekedatu project. The govt will prepare a fresh DPR and submit it to the Centre within 45 days, he said. An office has opened in this regard while land acquisition and other processes for implementation of the Mekedatu project are on. “Let the Union ministers representing Karnataka in Parliament prevail upon the Centre to grant permission for the Mekedatu project in Kanakapura taluk,” he stated.Public works minister Satish Jharkhiholi said the govt is committed to developing Hogenakkal Falls as a tourist spot. PWD has granted Rs 52 crore for construction of a bridge across Cauvery River in Hogenakkal that improves road connectivity to Kanakapura. It also provided funds for road development from Palar to Hogenakkal.During the event, Siddaramaiah handed over job offer letters to 25 family members who lost their family member due to lack of oxygen supply at the Covid ward in Chamarajanagar district hospital in May 2021. Deputy CM Shivakumar said the Congress govt kept its promise of providing jobs to 25 family members of Chamarajanagar oxygen tragedy victims.
