MANGALURU: KARNATAKA Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday criticised his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan, warning that the neighbouring state is sliding toward bankruptcy under the LDF government.
Addressing an election rally seeking votes for UDF candidate AKM Ashraf in the Manjeshwar assembly segment of Kasaragod district of Kerala, Siddaramaiah contrasted Karnataka’s performance with Kerala’s under the LDF, pointing to rising unemployment and inflation.
“In Karnataka, unemployment is 2.5%, in Kerala it is 8%. Inflation in Kerala is over 8%, more than double Karnataka’s,” Siddaramaiah said. He also said that Kerala’s debt-to-GDP ratio is 35%, exceeding the recommended 25%, and fiscal deficit at 3.5%, surpassing the ideal 3%.
Urging voters to back UDF, he said, “UDF will implement welfare guarantees just as we did in Karnataka. Congress and UDF are always in favour of the poor.” Turning his guns at BJP, Siddaramaiah accused the party of being anti-Constitution, anti-poor, anti-Dalit, and anti-minorities and favouring the rich and corporates.
He cited the Congress government’s five guarantees in Karnataka, which spend Rs 52,000 crore annually on pro-people initiatives claiming the programmes have strengthened the state’s economy despite BJP warnings.
Earlier in his speech, the CM said Manjeshwar should have been part of Karnataka. “Whenever I visit Manjeshwar, it feels like I have stepped into Karnataka, because Kannada resonates in every conversation here.
Though this land is part of Kerala, I feel that it should have been part of Karnataka. It is a matter of pride that great literary figures like Rashtrakavi Manjeshwara Govinda Pai and Kayyara Kiyanna Rai have brought fame to this region. Even today, despite being in Kerala, you continue to speak, preserve, and honour the Kannada language,” he said.
He also addressed an election rally in Kasaragod assembly segment and sought votes for UDF candidate Kallatra Mahin.