BAGALKOT: Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara has candidly admitted that the State Government is facing financial constraints. “We don’t have money. Even Chief Minister Siddaramaiah doesn’t have money now. Everything has been given away to you (people) in the form of rice, pulses, oil… even liquor,” he said, referring humorously while pointing at Excise Minister RB Timmapur.
Speaking after inaugurating a new building of the Fire and Emergency Services in Badami on Monday, the minister asked the officials and the leaders to prepare a Rs1,000-crore project for the comprehensive development of Badami. “The State Government has no funds, the project should be submitted to the Centre for the development of Badami,” he said.
Later, Dr Parameshwara denied the statement stating he never said that the government has no funds. He said that the government has several sources to mobilise funds for the development and claimed that the government has funds, but sometimes, releasing of funds takes time.
Meanwhile, the State BJP has hit out at Dr Parameshwara remarks. Taking to social media, the party accused the Congress government of bankrupting Karnataka through “unscientific” and “vote-bank driven” guarantees. “The very Home Minister has now confessed that the government has no funds to provide grants to MLAs.
This is a direct consequence of their irresponsible and unscientific guarantees aimed solely at appeasing minority vote banks,” BJP said, adding that the Congress, which came to power on false promises, has pushed the state into a financial crisis. “Their populist schemes have drained the state coffers, leaving nothing for crucial development work or MLA grants,” BJP said.
On the growing dissent in the Congress, the BJP pointed to Congress MLA BR Patil’s open allegation of corruption in the housing scheme. Another MLA Raju Kage, too, has expressed his frustration over the lack of grants and even threatened to resign, the party recalled.
“MLA Gopalakrishna has lamented the government’s inability to provide funds even to construct a basic drain. Now, with the Home Minister admitting there are no funds for development, it is clear that the Congress government is pushing Karnataka into a darkness,” the BJP said.