HASSAN: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries, HD Kumaraswamy, has failed to raise issues related to the state in Parliament.
Speaking to reporters in Hassan, the CM stated that Kumaraswamy has remained silent on several irrigation projects, including Mekedatu and Upper Bhadra, as well as the loss incurred by the state after the Union Government reduced GST rates.
“What moral rights does Kumaraswamy have to criticise us? Let him first spell out his contributions as Union minister to Karnataka and his constituency of Mandya. Kumaraswamy is yet to speak about Mekedatu even as the Centre has completely neglected the project,” Siddaramaiah said.
On Kuamraswamy’s alleged remarks that Siddaramaiah failed to protect the interests of AHIDNA (Kannada acronym for Minorities, Backward Classes, and Dalits) communities, who back him in polls, the CM said that he started the AHINDA movement to provide justice to them. “Kumaraswamy should speak as a union minister and not as a layman. The guarantee schemes benefit every citizen, which includes the poor, minorities, Dalits, farmers, labourers, and those from the AHINDA communities,” the CM said.
Kumaraswamy also should disclose his contribution to the agriculture sector, as he hails from an agricultural family, Siddaramaiah said, adding that the former CM also failed to question the Centre about the discrimination that Karnataka faced in GST. “We are likely to lose Rs 12,000 crore because of GST.
The Centre has also neglected the Upper Bhadra project. It assured Rs 5,000 crore for the project in the budget, but has yet to implement it. Karnataka’s growth rate has drastically decreased from 12% to 3% due to lapses and discrimination in GST by the Centre. Except for Kerala and Maharashtra, the rest have a zero growth rate in the country,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah also took PM Modi to task for criticising the guarantee schemes. He also said that the State Government is committed to implementing the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in the legislature and Parliament. “Let the Centre announce the same at the earliest.
We are ready to face the opposition effectively if they move a no-confidence motion or adjournment motion against us in the winter session,” the CM added.