Bengaluru: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, on Thursday, January 3, announced that he would be presenting the JDS-Congress coalition government’s second budget on either February 8 or 9.
The CM made this announcement while addressing his party-folk on Thursday and joked that his brother, PWD Minister H D Revanna had not yet picked an “auspicious” date for the budget presentation and therefore the date was not finalised. Reportedly, HDK suggested that he wanted to present the budget on February 8. “But Revanna must first check the calendar,” he said in jest.
During the meet, HDK also assured that he would repay the money owed to the banks with regard to the farm loan waivers. Elaborating, he said that although the Cabinet had concluded that the loan amount would be repaid to the banks in four instalments, he has decided to so do at one shot. The entire loan amount comes up to Rs 46,000 crores.
Once again referring to the Prime Minister’s ‘cruel joke’ comment about the farm loan waiver scheme in Karnataka, the CM accused the PM and the BJP of repeatedly attacking his government “without verifying facts”. Then, admitting that he swore on his son that he would waive the loans during his speech in Bagalkote, HDK explained that he did it because the BJP was publicising the scheme in a negative light.
