You will see my govt’s vision in 3 months: Kumaraswamy

Bengaluru, Jun 20: People will see the Congress-JD(S) coalition government’s work in full swing in another three months time, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday.

“We’ll prove ourselves with action and implementation, not just with speeches,” Kumaraswamy told reporters during an interaction here. “In three months, you’ll be able to see the government’s long-term vision at work.”

Kumaraswamy said not a single minister in the government was wasting any time by staying in Bengaluru. “They’re out there reviewing their departments. Our government will not be complacent or forgetful,” he said, adding that he wanted to restart his popular Grama Vastavya initiative.

That the Congress was yet to fill up six Cabinet positions out of its quota of 22 would not come in the way of the government’s functioning, the chief minister said. “We’re 25 ministers now. The government is working effectively. There was a time when only three ministers ran the show,” he said, referring to former chief minister R Gundu Rao’s time.

Kumaraswamy reiterated his commitment toward waiving farmers’ loans. “I know a loan waiver isn’t the remedy. The waiver will not stop farmers from committing suicide, but it must be done. What I want to do is revamp the way farmers do agriculture. Similarly, I want to bring about reforms in the education, health and housing sectors,” he said.The government will, in a couple of days, hold a meeting with heads of nationalised banks to discuss the loan waiver.

He said he planned to present his budget in the first or second week of July. “I will convene a Cabinet meeting to discuss the budget session.” 

On what transpired in his meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Kumaraswamy said: “I did not complain against any Congress leader when I met him. I took his advice on many things. That’s all.”

Kumaraswamy revealed that his own staff were resisting his demand for a cut in his motorcade and security detail. “Also, I’ve decided to fly in a commercial flight as much as possible. Flying in a private plane will cost Rs 38 lakh, whereas commercial is just Rs 1 lakh. I can use the Rs 37 lakh to develop a village,” he said.