Budget only meant to ensure political survival of Modi-led government, says Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticizes Union Budget as disappointing, accusing it of prioritizing political survival over Karnataka's needs.

Terming the Union Budget as “disappointing” and done to ensure “the political survival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Karnataka did not get anything from what it had sought in the pre-Budget meeting.

“Ours is a federal system in which there are 28 States and eight Union territories. No State except Andhra Pradesh and Bihar has got money in the Budget. None of the requests by Karnataka during the pre-Budget meeting has been accepted. Ms. Sitharaman, who has been elected to Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, has given a ‘chombu’ (empty vessel) to the State. We had expected her to protect the interest of the State, but she has disappointed us,” the Chief Minister told presspersons here. “They (BJP) know nothing but politics of vengeance and hate; because the Dalits and minorities did not vote for them, those communities have been neglected.”

He said Bihar and Andhra Pradesh received funds because they are important for Mr. Modi to remain Prime Minister. “No other State is happy,” he said.

Listing of the requests made by the State during the pre-Budget meeting, he said: “Since I could not go, (Revenue Minister) Krishna Byre Gowda presented the State’s request. They included ₹6,000 crore for peripheral ring road and water bodies development in Bengaluru, ₹5,300 crore already announced for Upper Bhadra and a matching grant of ₹5,000 crore to be spent on backward Kalyana Karnataka region under article 371 J. We had also requested to increase the contribution from ₹1.5 lakh to ₹5 in urban housing and ₹1.2 lakh to ₹3 lakh in rural housing schemes. There has been a long pending demand for AIIMS at Raichur. None of these have been accepted.”

Despite Karnataka being represented by five Ministers, including former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, in the Union Council of Ministers, the Budget has been disappointing for the State, he added.

Clarifying that they were not opposing any programmes (announced in the Budget), Mr. Siddaramaiah said, “What Karnataka gets is important. What they said in the Budget or recommended by the Finance Commission have not been given.” He cited examples of ₹5,300 crore funds for the Upper Bhadra project announced in the 2023-24 Budget and ₹5,495 crore special grant recommended by the 15th Finance Commission.”

When asked about the proposed soft loans to the State, he shot back, “Loan is not a grant. It has to be returned. I have no confidence in the Centre’s Budget. They are telling lies, and whatever promises made in the Budget will not be implemented. Several departments have been allocated less than what had been allocated in the interim Budget. Farmers’ demand for legislation on minimum support prices has not been met. The fiscal deficit is high. This Budget is anti-people, anti-farmers, anti-poor, and they (NDA) are taking the country towards bankruptcy.”