Bengaluru: Opposition leader Siddaramaiah has slammed the budget as a boastful exercise. “There is a lot of misinformation. Over the past few years, they have burdened the people with more loans. This has been their greatest achievement,” he remarked.
Siddaramaiah further said, “From independence to 2018-19, the state’s loan was Rs. 2,42,000 Crore. By March of next year, this figure will rise to Rs. 5,18,000 Crore. In 2017-18, interest on loans was Rs. 13,000 Crore, but it is now over Rs. 29,000 Crore. In the last four years, the BJP government has borrowed Rs. 2,66,000 Crore.”
“Basavaraj Bommai has announced a please-all budget with allocation for all sectors. However, there is no plan in place for how these resources will be managed. Given the state’s financial situation, none of these allocations or announcements are likely to be fulfilled,” said the Council’s Opposition leader B. K. Hariprasad.
He also said that this budget is being presented in light of the upcoming elections. How will resources be allocated for these major announcements? If the Centre does not supply funding, it will be hard to manage the financing for these projects, and the announcements will remain on paper.”
JD (S) leader H. D. Kumaraswamy slammed the government, saying that the Mekedatu project is delayed because the Central Water Commission has yet to provide clearances. “Allotting Rs. 1,000 Crore in the budget is just an eyewash. How can they execute it without the mandatory clearances?” he questioned.
