Bengaluru: What started as a plan for a 15-day tour of 14 Congress legislators to Australia and New Zealand to “examine” animal husbandry practices has now emerged as a political flashpoint, giving the Opposition recent ammunition to query the Karnataka authorities’s spending and priorities.

The “academic tour” between 16 February and three March was deliberate practically two months in the past, these within the delegation mentioned, including that it entailed visits to the picturesque pastures of the 2 international locations.

With questions over the necessity for spending taxpayers’ cash on legislators’ junkets doing the rounds, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah mentioned the legislators had been going to the Oceanic international locations with their pocket cash. The federal government, he emphasised, was not funding the journey.

Karnataka Animal Husbandry Minister Okay. Venkatesh has now confirmed that no such tour had been organised by his division.

“A few of us determined to go on our personal. But it surely was not from the division. There is no such thing as a cash for something. How can we go on a tour now?” Venkatesh mentioned when contacted by ThePrint.

Some MLAs offered a distinct model, although.

“Venkatesh instructed us that we must always go on the journey. He didn’t inform us that we needed to foot the invoice ourselves,” mentioned a Congress chief within the delegation of legislators, requesting anonymity. This account contradicts Venkatesh’s public assertion, resulting in confusion concerning the funding and authorisation of the journey.

On Wednesday, C. Puttarangashetty, a senior chief and incumbent chairman of Mysore Gross sales Worldwide Restricted (MSIL), had instructed reporters, “We’re happening an academic journey underneath the animal husbandry division

Most likely, we’re going to get some info on animal husbandry. 20-22, some are coming with households, a few of us are happening our personal.”

Going by his feedback, the Opposition attacked the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka authorities for prioritising overseas journeys of legislators, even because the state goes via an acute funds crunch.

A lot of the 14 legislators, together with Okay. Venkatesh, are thought-about shut confidants of Siddaramaiah. This has additional fuelled hypothesis that the Chief Minister could also be making an attempt to placate his loyalists amid reported variations along with his deputy.

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‘Can’t afford a overseas journey’

In a letter addressed to the legislative secretary—dated 30 January—Congress MLA H.D. Thammiah requested for a ‘No Objection Certificates’ in addition to a grant of go away for the journey.
A number of legislators had been seen alongside Puttarangashetty when he mentioned the journey earlier than the media, however nearly all of them have since defined that the senior colleague misstated issues.

B.M. Nagaraj, the Congress MLA from Sirguppa, instructed ThePrint that it was a “privately-funded journey” and that he was taking his household alongside. “The journey is confirmed…There is no such thing as a a part of the federal government in it,” Nagaraj instructed ThePrint Thursday.

He added that Puttarangshetty needed to convey that there have been good practices of animal husbandry in Australia-New Zealand and that they might decide up classes on the tour.

His senior colleague, he mentioned, misstated issues, emphasising that there was nothing incorrect with MLAs eager to go on their very own, if they may afford it.

The Opposition won’t let this go so simply, although.

“The animal husbandry minister is taking MLAs on a overseas tour. Beforehand, overseas excursions utilizing authorities cash had been stopped,” R. Ashoka, the Chief of Opposition, instructed reporters Thursday. “If a tour is to occur, members from all events are included within the delegation. If the minister is taking them alongside, how did the federal government give permission? Who’s spending the cash—for this—must be disclosed.”

Based on the Opposition, the larger image in all that is the battle between the CM and his deputy over power-sharing.

Deputy Chief Minister D.Okay. Shivakumar, who met the Congress excessive command in Delhi Thursday, towards the backdrop of his variations with Siddaramaiah, nonetheless, mentioned energy tussles aren’t one thing out of the best way.

“We have now not mentioned that situation [power sharing]. The get together has its personal targets. Our leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge would take an appropriate resolution, protecting in thoughts the pursuits of the get together, state, and the nation. The media is giving it a distinct color, however this isn’t particular for us,” he instructed mediapersons.

He mentioned that he was not conscious of the proposed abroad journey to be undertaken by a few of his get together colleagues. “I’m not going to speak about it; it’s between the MLAs and the CM. I don’t know what tips the CM has given them. I’m not conscious of this. Nobody has knowledgeable me about it; I realized about it from the media.”

(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)

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