BENGALURU: Days after the BJP’s resounding victory in the state bypolls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to congratulate him. Modi also assured the CM of releasing the pending Goods and Services Tax Council (GST) compensation.
Sources in the CMO said, both leaders discussed various issues including GST, the citizenship law and other political developments. While the Central Government has come under fire from some states that have claimed they will not implement the amendment to the citizenship law, Yediyurappa made it clear that Karnataka will implement all initiatives taken by the Centre, including the citizenship law.
Sources also said the call from the PM came as a surprise for Yediyurappa who was planning to visit the national capital to get the central leadership’s nod for expanding his cabinet. Sources in CMO said the PM inquired about the GST collection in the state. “The PM assured to release Karnataka’s share of compensation,’’ the sources added.
The Congress has accused the State Government of not making a strong case to get the GST compensation of around Rs 5,600 crore, which is due from the Centre. The opposition had also demanded that Yediyurappa put pressure on the Centre to get the dues released at the earliest.