BENGALURU: “What have you done with the Central funds?,’’ the BJP slammed the coalition government with this question and sought to know the details of the expenditure of Central funds. However, Congress hit back asking BJP to cough up their legitimate dues.
Former Minister and General Secretary BJP Arvind Limbavalli demanded an audit report on the use of Central funds. He accused the state government of diverting Central funds that were meant for different welfare schemes like Nirbhaya, Amruth, Pradhan Mantri Awaz, Smart City, Metro Phase 1 and 2. He alleged the misappropriation amounted to Rs 10,000 crore. He said, as a state government, they have to give Utilization Certificate (UC) for the utilisation of funds. “They should stop telling people that the Centre is not giving funds,” he added. Asked if his party had sought the details of funds through proper channels he said, “They should give details to the Centre.’’
Congress leader and Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara hit back saying, “The Union government has not given us the legitimate amount of money for MNREGA. They have not given us money for drought relief, even though 156 out of the 176 taluks are reeling under drought. Have they specified what are these Rs 10,000 crore funds for which they have sought audit reports?” he asked.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had earlier complained about insufficient drought relief support.
Karnataka got a mere Rs 950 crore but Maharashtra got nearly five times more — 4,500 crore, he had pointed out. When asked about this Karnataka-Maharashtra disparity, Limbavali said, “We cannot take individual states and compare.”