Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Chamarajanagar (Karnataka), Nov 20 (IANS) Siddaramaiah said after inaugurating the 72nd All India Cooperative Week and delivering the valedictory address on Thursday, “If I had remained in the Janata Dal (Secular), I would not have become the Chief Minister.” CM Siddaramaiah further said, ‘Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his sons would not have allowed me to become the Chief Minister.’
He said, “GT Deve Gowda, a senior leader who was part of the cooperative movement, is still in JD(S), but he is by my side. Till 2006, GT Deve Gowda was with me. After I was expelled from JD(S), he stayed back. Now, in a way, he is with us again.”
CM Siddaramaiah further said that when he presented his first budget, people mocked him by saying that he “does not know how to count sheep” as he is from the shepherd community. CM Siddaramaiah recalled, “I took it as a challenge to ask ‘why can’t I present the budget’. Then, I presented a record number of budgets.”
It is noteworthy that CM Siddaramaiah has so far presented the budget of 16 states and he is ready to present the budget for the 17th time as the CM of Karnataka. This will further extend his own record as at the age of 16 he already has the highest number of state budgets presented by any leader in Karnataka.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah further said, “For the economic development of rural India, it is necessary to have a school, a gram panchayat and a cooperative society in every village – this was the vision of late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Because of his foresight, the cooperative movement grew stronger across the country.”
He said that it is because of the foresight of Pandit Nehru that Cooperative Week is celebrated every year on his birth anniversary.
Today, in Karnataka, cooperative movement and cooperative societies are growing in various sectors including agriculture, dairy, industry and banking, CM Siddaramaiah pointed out and said that this is a healthy development.
CM Siddaramaiah said, “When I was the Animal Husbandry Minister, I had given full support to the autonomy and self-reliance of milk producers’ cooperative societies. Today, one crore liters of milk is produced every day. For the benefit of milk producers, our government is providing a subsidy of Rs 5 per liter to farmers – Rs 5 crore per day.”
CM Siddaramaiah said, “We have increased milk prices twice, but I have given clear instructions that the extra money should go directly to milk producers.”
He said, “Ever since I became the Chief Minister, we have been designing and implementing programs for the welfare of people of all castes and religions. People of all castes and religions in Chamarajanagar district have supported me. Therefore, I will never forget this district.”
He said, “I have visited Chamarajanagar several times. There is a superstition that a minister loses his post after visiting this district. But whenever I come here, not only is my post safe, but the strength of our party also increases.”
CM Siddaramaiah further announced that for cooperative society recruitments, preference will be given to those who have completed cooperative diploma and degree and the importance of cooperative principles will be included in the educational curriculum.
When reporters asked him whether the 2028 elections would also be fought under Siddaramaiah’s leadership, he replied that an appropriate decision would be taken in future and said, “As long as people expect it, I will continue to present the budget.”
When asked about his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said that there has been heavy rain in the state and compensation has been requested for the damage caused by it. Details about the issues of sugarcane growers and discussions held with farmers and factory owners were also given.
–IANS
MKA/Work