Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah came to the rescue of film star turned Congress politician Ramya who had said Pakistan is not hell which has angered the BJP and other right wing groups. Siddaramaiah told reporters in Hubballi, a north Karnataka city on Monday, that Ramya did not say anything wrong and blamed BJP for flaring up issues pertaining to Pakistan for political gains and to create trouble in society.
He said “What is wrong in Ramya's saying that Pakistan was not a hell and the people in that country treated her well when she went for the SAARC meet. Did not Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit Pakistan to attend his counterpart Nawaz Sharif’s grand daughters’ marriageIJ Why BJP did not object to it then. What is the logic behind silence at that time and now raising objection." he asked.
He also questioned why BJP did object to when senior BJP leader lK Advani had called Pakistan freedom fighter Mohammad Ali Jinnah as a secular person. He blamed BJP for provoking students through ABVP to disturb peace in the society by objecting to Ramya's statement which is true.
Ramya a former MP from Mandya after her visit to Pakistan countered Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar’s comment calling Pakistan a hell, had said Pakistan was not hell but people were cordial there.
When asked about investigating agencies failing to crack the murder of social thinker and research scholar MM Kalburgi even after one year of his death, Siddaramaiah said that CID is already on the job and culprits would be brought to books soon. later in another farmers meeting at Koppal Siddaramaiah has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive 50 per cent of farm loans provided by commercial banks to bail out farmers caught in the agricultural crisis.
“If Modi does so, I will also take a decision to waive of agricultural loans taken from cooperative societies in the State,” he said and added that he had already discussed the issue with prime minister in person, apart from apprising him about the plight of farmers. “I am committed to my stand even now,” he added.
He was addressing a mammoth convention of beneficiaries of Krishi Bhagya, called ‘Swavalambi, Swabhimani Samavesha’, drawn from 12 districts of north Karnataka at Koppal.
“I am aware of the problems and plight of farmers in the State and also believe that the country prospers only if farmer prospers. I have been trying to mitigate their problems by providing interest-free farm loans upto Rs. 3 lakh, besides charging minimum interest rate for loans upto Rs. 10 lakh, waiving off interest and compensating their loss of crop due to severe drought. My government is committed to farmers’ welfare.”