Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, tabled his record 14th budget and the newly-formed Congress government’s maiden budget at the legislative assembly on Friday. He said approximately Rs 52,000 crore would be spent annually on the five key poll ‘guarantees’ and it is expected to benefit 1.3 crore families.
Former chief minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai slammed the Congress-led government after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented a budget of Rs 3.27 lakh crore. He called them “ATMSarkara.” “This #ATMSarkara, who lied that he has opened a shop of love in the market of hatred, has also expressed his politically motivated hatred in the budget, and has tarnished the integrity of the budget,” Bommai tweeted.
The Opposition BJP and JDS said it lacked vision and was a burden on the people of the state. The former chief minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa said the budget lacked a comprehensive vision. “It would burden the people. The budget says a loan of Rs 85,000 crore will be borrowed. Such a loan will only burden the people,” he said, adding that in the three-hour-long budget speech, CM Siddaramaiah only criticized the Centre and the previous BJP government in Karnataka.
Former CM Basavaraj Bommai called the budget politically motivated and said that instead of focussing on the future, it was a mere reverse gear budget. “Budget focused on opposing the Union Government and the previous State Government,” he said.
Former Dy CM Govind Karjol said, “The government has failed on resource mobilization right at the start and the budget has increased the tax burden on the people. The budget has done little to avoid wasteful expenditure. They have failed to make a budgetary allocation for unemployment allowance. I give this budget a mere 25 on a scale of 100.’’
BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi said the budget was a burden on the middle class. Former CM and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy called the budget a ‘cut-and-paste budget’. “It appears that the budget presentation takes pleasure to defame the Modi sarkar at the Centre and the previous BJP government in the state. It is a mere political statement.’’He said the Centre and the previous BJP government in the state have been accused of violating financial discipline. “Instead of stressing on this government’s programs and policies, it appears they have used it to defame others,” the JDS leader said. “They have announced projects worth Rs 1.75 lakh crore without setting aside funds. Who will repay the loan of Rs 85,000 crore?” he asked.
Referring to the allocation of Rs 52,000 crore for poll promises, Bommai said. “They have only implemented the free bus services. They haven’t implemented the others yet.”
He further remarked that the excise duty has also been increased in the budget. “They have revised the motor vehicle tax, and stamps and registration department. I had made a surplus budget, and theirs is a deficit budget. Surplus is very important,” he said.
