Siddaramaiah accuses Centre of ignoring Karnataka floods, seeks Rs 5,000 cr assistance

Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Sunday accused the Central government of ignoring the flood situation in Karnataka and demanded an assistance of Rs 5,000 crore.

"The Central government is still sleeping even after seeing the severity of floods and the damages due to floods. It should immediately declare this as a national disaster. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should visit these places, conduct a scientific survey and release Rs 5,000 crore," Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.

He also accused the Central government of giving Karnataka "step-motherly treatment" and said that the funds released so far are not even sufficient for the first-aid.

"Due to the ongoing flood situation, more than a lakh crore worth public and private assets have been destroyed. Roads, bridges, railway lines and many other things have washed away. It may take years to set it right," the tweet reads.

"There should not be any politics in this distress situation. It will be very difficult for Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to act alone and is quite impossible to ensure justice in all the departments. I urge him to immediately form the Cabinet and make ministers in-charge for each district," it added.

Earlier today, the Congress leader held a press conference, where he slammed the Central government and Yediyurappa.

"I don't know how Yediyurappa calls himself the Chief Minister when there is no Council of Ministers. In this kind of situation, you need a Revenue Minister, Agriculture Minister to take stock of the situation. Since there is no government, proper measures are not being taken," Siddaramaiah said.

At least 24 people have lost their lives while around 1,024 villages in 80 talukas of 17 districts have been affected due to floods caused by incessant rains in the region.

"Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited the state yesterday. Home Minister Amit Shah is coming today, but the Prime Minister has not come yet. I demand that the Prime Minister visit the flood-affected areas and do an aerial survey," he said.