BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday that Karnataka’s economy is strong and the BJP should stop spreading lies. He asked the Opposition to work with the government to improve the welfare of the state’s people.
“Karnataka’s economy is strong enough to withstand the BJP’s betrayals. We will continue to fight for our rights against the injustices of the BJP-led Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We stand by our words and our people,” the CM stated, responding to BJP leaders BY Vijayendra and Basavaraj Bommai’s allegations over the state of the economy.
The CM said during the BJP’s rule, the state’s economy was pushed to the brink of collapse. “Now, while sitting in the Opposition, they are speaking as if they are great economists. Our government is working hard to bring the state’s economy back on track after the mismanagement and chaos caused by the BJP’s irresponsible financial policies,” he stated.
He said during the BJP’s rule, they took up projects worth seven times more than the budget allocated, and as of March 31, 2023, they left behind unpaid bills worth Rs 2,70,695 crore for key departments like Public Works, Minor Irrigation, Water Resources, Urban Development, Rural Development, and Housing.
The Modi government has also done great injustice to Karnataka in tax devolution, he stated. “We are providing over Rs 90,000 crore annually directly to the people through DBT and subsidies, including Rs 10,400 crore for senior citizens, disabled persons, widows, and others. The Centre contributes only Rs 450 crore, the same as during PM Manmohan Singh’s tenure. What has the BJP done for Karnataka?” he stated.
Siddaramaiah said Karnataka’s capital expenditure is better than neighbouring progressive states. Karnataka is spending 15.01% of its budget on capital expenditure, compared to Maharashtra (12.74%), Tamil Nadu (10.58%), and Telangana (11.58%), he stated.
He said the strong economy and good governance have attracted investments worth Rs 10.27 lakh crore at the recent Invest Karnataka summit.