BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday that he will not discriminate against BJP MLAs in allocation of funds for development projects across the state.
Speaking after launching work on a Rs 58.44-crore white topping and road development project in Chickpet ward of Gandhinagar Assembly constituency here, Siddaramaiah hit out at Opposition BJP stating that a Rs 11,300-crore grant announced by the NDA government at the Centre for various development projects in the city has not been released. The Centre has also not released the GST share of Rs 15,000 crore.
He criticised the BJP leaders from the state for not pressuring the Centre to release the promised funds. The Modi government announced Rs 11,400 crore as a special grant for various development projects in Bengaluru. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announced Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Project.
But the Centre did not give a single rupee to the state. “I thought the Metro project will be implemented on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis by the state and Union governments. But it is not happening. Despite the state government’s contribution of 83.12%, the BJP leaders claim that it is a Central project,” he said.
Criticising Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka and other BJP leaders, Siddaramaiah said not a single road was built when that party was in power in the state. It did not even fix a single pothole, he alleged.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said during Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister, the state received funds for various projects under the JNNURM scheme. The contribution of BJP MPs to the state is nil, he alleged.
“When PM Modi came to inaugurate Metro Yellow Line, I requested him for funds for projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore to be implemented in the city. Bengaluru pays the highest taxes after Mumbai. I have not received any reply from the Union government so far,” he said.
