DAVANGERE: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday claimed that the Karnataka budget presented by him is better than the Union budget.
Hitting out at the BJP for slamming his budget, Siddaramaiah termed the saffron party’s criticism of his budget as one made for political gain.
Addressing reporters in Davanagere after campaigning for Congress candidate Samarth Shamanur, the CM said, “There are two economic theories in the world— one that supports the elite and the other that supports the needy. Congress believes in the principle of universal basic income and is providing benefits to the lower classes.”
Taking a dig at the Opposition BJP, he said the party opposes pro-people schemes of his government, including the five guarantees, which aims at empowering the poor.
“We have spent Rs 1,31,000 crore on the guarantee schemes so far. In Davanagere South constituency alone, the government has spent Rs 535 crore. The benefits reach the beneficiaries directly without intermediaries. Then how can you (BJP) allege there is corruption in the implementation of the guarantees?” he asked.
Expressing confidence that the Congress will win the bypolls in Davanagere South and Bagalkot by a huge margin, the CM said that the contributions of Congress leaders Shamanur Shivashankarappa and HY Meti will help party candidates win.
Hitting out at the BJP for saying that the Congress government has pushed the state into a debt trap, the CM said that the saffron party government in the past borrowed more. “During its tenure, the BJP borrowed more than Rs 5,30,000 crore till March 2023. We have borrowed Rs 2,56,000 crore in the last four years.
Similarly, when PM Modi came to power in 2014, the country’s debt stood at Rs 53.11 lakh crore. Now there is a debt of Rs 218 lakh crore. This indicates that the BJP government has borrowed more at the national and state levels,” Siddaramaiah said.
Reacting to state BJP president BY Vijayendra’s demand for a white paper on the state’s economic situation, the CM said that there were extensive discussions on the budget in the recent session, and a long answer has already been given.
While the country’s GDP is 7.14%, the state’s GDP is comfortably placed at 8.1%, he said, adding that the size of the state’s budget this time has increased by 9.4% compared to last year. “The state is second in the country in GST collection, and the state is also second in capital investment.
The BJP is indulging in baseless statements only for politics,” he said, taking a dig at the PM over the Indian Rupee hitting a record low against the US Dollar. On criticisms that the Congress has fielded candidates belonging to political families, the CM questioned if there was no dynasts in the BJP and JDS. “In Congress, a ticket is given only to children of deceased leaders,” he said.