SHIVAMOGGA: Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa condemned the state government of not doing anything for the development of Karnataka.
He alleged that the previous Siddaramaiah government and the present Kumaraswamy-led coalition government only “burdened citizens with an uninvited loan of `40,000 crore and more”.
Describing the state’s economy as one that had “deteriorated”, BSY said: “With a grant amount of around `500 crore, our government completed a number of developmental works in and around Shivamogga. I made sure the city got a number of double roads.
We achieved an important milestone after connecting the city railway station with KEB Circle by double roads. Moreover, an 82-km railway track was laid between Thalaguppa and Honnavar. Contrary to these developments, the Siddaramaiah government in its five-year-tenure borrowed loans of `2,86,479 crore, which has now gone up to `2,92,000 crore, since the coalition government came to power.”
BSY also said that while there were many co-operative banks under the state limits, the current government seeks aid from nationalised banks to waive off loans in four stages. “I fail to understand how Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allows this, and I am eager to see the results,” he said.
He expressed anguish over the involvement of nationalised banks for the farmer loan waiver. “A delegation of nationalised banks headed by Chief Minister Kumaraswamy has met twice, but the RBI chose to stay away from both the meetings.
I have been raising concerns over the involvement of nationalised banks for the farmer loan waiver since the beginning, but the CM and his aides have not heeded to any of my concerns,” he said.
“If I had a chance to relieve farmers of their loans, I would have approached the Center in the 24-hour time limit given to me by Supreme Court, to prove majority on the floor,” BSY mentioned as he claimed that the chief ministerial candidates of the three parties – the BJP, JD(S) and Congress had a discussion over the loan waiver of farmers prior to the Assembly election. “We decided that reliving farmers of their loans is the first task to undertake,” he said.