BENGALURU: For the first time, differences between the top leaders of the coalition partners have come to the fore on the tabling of a new full-fledged budget for 2018-19. Co-ordination committee chairman and former chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that there was no need for a fresh budget and a supplementary budget would do. Rejecting the suggestion outright, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy asserted that a fresh one was needed to demonstrate the direction of the new government.
Kumaraswamy reminded Siddaramaiah, “Prior to elections, you (Siddaramaiah) stated that you may have to present a new budget even if your own party comes to power. I clearly remember what you had stated.”
Strongly pushing for a new budget, Kumaraswamy said he would meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi to sort out the issue soon.
Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bengaluru, “In my opinion, there is no need for presenting a full-fledged budget as it has already been presented and Vote on Account was taken till July-end. If he (Kumaraswamy) wants to announce any new programmes, he can do it through a supplementary budget.”
He said, “Article 205 of the Constitution provides for supplementary budget. As a Finance Minister, if you want to add any new programme, you can do it through supplementary budget and provide funds for such programmes. If a full-fledged budget is presented again, what is the need for having a provision for supplementary budget?”
Reacting to Siddaramaiah’s suggestion, Kumaraswamy said, “Let us see what happens. We will decide that in the cabinet meeting. Whenever a new government comes to power, it needs to demonstrate what its goals are. We cannot limit ourselves to presenting supplementary budget because there are many challenges before the government.”
“The Congress as well as the JD(S) made several promises incorporating new programmes. A supplementary budget would not suffice to incorporate them all,” the CM told reporters Delhi on Saturday evening.
In February, just before his government’s tenure ended, Siddaramaiah had presented a full-fledged budget for 2018-19, with an outlay of `2.1 lakh crore. However, Kumaraswamy, who holds the finance portfolio, wants his own budget and has already started making preparations for it.
PLEASE ASK HIM: SIDDU
Siddaramaiah refused to comment on CM’s statement that his government was safe for at least one year. “I do not want to comment. Please ask him (HDK). I do not understand or even try to understand (what he said). I do not even want to know the context.”