‘First victory of our struggle’: Sidda hails court’s intervention

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hails SC's decision as a win for Karnataka in getting fair drought relief. Centre to release funds within a week, as directed by SC.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday hailed the development in the Supreme Court (SC) as a win for Karnataka in its fight against the Centre to get a fair share of drought relief to the affected farmers of the state.

**EDS: TO GO WITH STORY MDS 13** Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah during an interview with PTI ahead of the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls, in Bengaluru, Friday, April 21, 2023. (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak) (PTI04_21_2023_000369A) (PTI)

Earlier in the day, the Centre had told the SC that the Election Commission (EC) has given clearance to it to deal with the issue raised by Karnataka regarding financial assistance for drought management. “The Election Commission has cleared the government to deal with this question. I think it will be done expeditiously,” Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, told the bench.

Later, in a post on X, Siddaramaiah said: “The Central government has told the Supreme Court that it will take action within a week regarding the release of drought relief to the state of Karnataka. The Attorney General of the Central Government told the court that the Election Commission has also agreed to release the relief.”

“Even after five months of petitioning for relief, the central BJP government did not take any decision, creating the necessity of going to court. This is the first victory of our struggle to give fair compensation to the farmers of the country,” he said.

Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also lauded the SC for directing the Centre to release drought relief funds to the state within a week.

“Finally, the Hon’ble Supreme Court has delivered justice to our farmers by directing the Union government to release the drought relief fund of ₹18,172 crore to the drought-stricken farmers of Karnataka within a week,” Rao said in a post on ‘X’.

“The Union government has promised to comply with the directive. The Attorney General confirmed this, adding that the Election Commission has also agreed to release the drought relief,” he added.