BENGALURU: The Congress government in Karnataka is considering filing a legal suit against the Maharashtra government for allegedly publishing misleading advertisements about its (Karnataka’s) guarantee schemes, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Monday.
The advertisements have come up ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, which is ruled by the Eknath Shinde-led alliance government, of which BJP is a part of.
Siddaramaiah told reporters here after Kanaka Jayanthi celebrations that the Maharashtra government had issued advertisements alleging that the guarantee schemes — which are credited for bringing the Congress back to power in Karnataka last year — were not implemented, while the Karnataka government is on record stating that it is spending Rs 56,000 crore every year on the five guarantee schemes.
One of the advertisements released in Maharashtra criticising Congress’ guarantee schemes in Karnataka, which Siddaramaiah has objected to, states, “Vaada kiya, Dhoka diya” (Made promises, but betrayed).
The CM said these advertisements issued by the Maharashtra government were misleading and full of lies, and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, had lied about them. “All this, they are doing for votes,’’ he said, adding that the Karnataka government was now considering filing a lawsuit against the Maharashtra government. “We are checking the possibilities of moving the court, for which we are legally reviewing it,” he said.
HDK has no moral right to speak on guarantees: CM
During his recent visit to Maharashtra, Modi alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka was looting people and that the money was allegedly being used for campaigning for its party candidates in that state.
Siddaramaiah reiterated that they will not cancel the Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards of eligible beneficiaries. “We will cancel only the cards of ineligible beneficiaries,’’ he said. “It was me who initiated free rice. In 2017, rice, which was given for one rupee per kilo, was given free. BJP has not done this anywhere in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh or Bihar,’’ he said.
Slamming the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders, the CM said Union Minister and former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy had no moral right to speak about the guarantee schemes. “When he was CM, had he implemented the guarantee schemes, then he could speak,’’ he said.
He said Karnataka pays Rs 4.5 lakh crore tax to the Centre, but in return, the state gets only Rs 59,000 crore. “Why can’t the NDA leaders (from Karnataka) speak and get our share?’’ he said.