Yeddyurappa blasts Centre for 'step motherly' treatment to Karnataka

Taking an aggressive posture a week after assuming office, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday hit out at the Centre accusing it of meting out 'step motherly' treatment to the state. The Centre had not responded to the state's plea for financial assistance to tackle the drought and floods so far whereas it obliged the neighbouring states, the chief minister charged at a press conference in Bangalore.

"Karnataka has suffered from injustice", Yeddyurappa said adding that he had sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to direct the agricutlure ministry to immediatley release 1.25 lakh tonnes of Di Ammonium Phosphate and 1.1 lakh tonnes of complex fertilizer to the state to meet the demand by farmers as the sowing operations have begun. The short supply in DAP and fertilisers was due to suspension of production by manufacturers in the wake of the Centre not releasing subsidy arrears to them, he said.

Yeddyurappa earlier interacted with District Commissioners of Shimoga, his home district, Dharwad, Gadag, Davanagere, Hassan, Mangalore, Udupi and Chikmagalur via video conferencing. Except Udupi, officials in other districts told the chief minister of the fertiliser shortage.

Deciding to take the hi-tech route in his effort to tone up the administration and hear problems faced by people in the districts, Yeddyurappa said he would have interactions through video conferencing in future whenever time permited.