
BENGALURU: Members of the Ruling Congress in Karnataka called the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman “biased,” favouring states ruled by BJP and its allies. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the budget was a big blow not just to the aspirations of Karnataka, but to the very foundation of democracy. “With the Union Budget, the BJP Govt has once again proved that it doesn’t pay any attention to the prayers of millions of Kannadigas.
All it does care about is ways to get power wherever elections are scheduled. This budget is a big blow not just to the aspirations of Karnataka but to the very foundation of democracy, where a govt is openly showing its bias against people of a state, dashing their right to prosperity, equality, and development,” he posted.
Industries Minister MB Patil said that keeping capital expenditure largely unchanged was not good for economic growth. “This slows down the pace of development. To face competition posed by neighbouring China, we need to increase capital expenditure. But it is unfortunate that there is no such proposal in the budget,” Patil said.
He took a dig at the Modi government for not announcing any specific initiative for Karnataka, the IT, BT and startup capital of the country. “The state’s share in the country’s overall export turnover is high. Therefore, we should have been given something more,” he said.
Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said that SCs/STs and Backward Classes were neglected in the budget. “The tax wealth of the people of the southern states of the country has been poured into the development of the northern Indian states. There are three Union ministers from Karnataka, which has not benefited the state. The expectation of providing special schemes for the safety and development of the metropolises in the state has been ignored,” he added.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda called it a “dark day” for Karnataka as none of its demands have been fulfilled. “Our tax is being taken by other states. Bihar has got five or six schemes. So should Karnataka eat peanuts? Only UP and Bihar are visible to the Centre, our state is being treated as a labour,” he said. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said that the budget has turned a blind eye on the burning financial issue of people committing suicide owing to alleged harassment by the microfinance institutions. “Is this a budget or Bihar election manifesto?” he said.