Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday accused Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of “lying” about budget allocations to Karnataka and alleged that the BJP-led NDA government continues to mete out financial injustice to the state. Siddaramaiah’s statements were reported by the news agency PTI.
The Chief Minister claimed that the BJP was trying to portray Karnataka as a “corrupt state” and called for collective protest against the perceived financial discrimination. “What has she (Sitharaman) given to say that no injustice has happened? Whenever Nirmala Sitharaman has come (to Karnataka), she has lied. She has lied in the past too, even now she is lying,” said Siddaramaiah. This comment came in response to Sitharaman’s recent dismissal of claims that Karnataka did not receive its due share in the union budget.
Siddaramaiah raised questions about the pre-budget promise of ₹5,300 crore made to Karnataka and the lack of funds allocated for various infrastructure projects, such as the Upper Bhadra project. “The fifteenth finance commission in its report has recommended ₹5,495 crore as special grants, is it there? It was said that ₹3,000 crore will be given for the peripheral ring road (in Bengaluru). It was promised to give ₹3,000 crore for development of water bodies, is it there (in the budget)?” he asked.
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The Chief Minister also pointed out the grants given to NDA-allied states like Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, questioning why Karnataka was not given similar allocations. “Do you know Karnataka is the state that has faced most injustice in the fifteenth financial commission, despite her representing the state as the Rajya Sabha member?” he remarked before leaving for Delhi to meet the party’s high command.
Addressing allegations that the state government’s policies are driving industries away, Siddaramaiah argued that it is actually Sitharaman’s policies that are deterring investments. “Do you know that there is a 31 per cent drop in FDI coming to the country, it is because of whom? It is because of policies and programmes; who makes policies and programmes? It is Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman, who is the finance minister of the country,” he stated.
Siddaramaiah further questioned what Karnataka and other high tax-revenue generating states like Maharashtra have received from the budget in return. He also noted that several non-BJP ruled states have boycotted the NITI Aayog meeting and that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was “not given time to speak.”
On Sunday, Sitharaman had alleged that misinformation was being spread about fund allocation to Karnataka. She blamed the Congress government’s policies for the state’s inflation rate remaining above the national average and claimed that these policies have scared away investors and industries due to a poor law and order situation.
