BENGALURU: The 15-day budget session of the Karnataka legislature will commence from Monday with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who holds the finance portfolio, presenting his 16th budget, a record, on March 7. The session will kick off with an address by Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot.
The session is taking place amid several flashpoints. Tension escalated between the government and Raj Bhavan over an attempt to replace the governor as chancellor of RDPR University by appointing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah instead. The governor, however, returned the Bill.
The session is likely to be turbulent with the opposition BJP and JDS trying to attack the government over the state’s finances. They will point out lapses in implementing the guarantees, especially the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, power disruption and diversion of SCP/TSP funds for the guarantees and others. The government’s decision to wind up nine of the 10 new state universities, set up by the previous BJP government, is also likely to be a major issue.
The government will table the important Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill and Karnataka Micro Loan and Small Loan (Prevention of Coercive Actions) Bill, 2025.
It is to be seen whether opposition parties will raise the issue of clean chit given to Siddaramaaiah by the Lokayukta in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam as the matter is still in the court.
For BJP, the focus would be rising prices of essentials in the state, especially the fare hike of Bengaluru Metro, state-run road transport corporation buses and milk price among others.
It will take up the law and order situation, focusing on the attack on Udayagiri police station in Mysuru and the alleged mishandling of the case by the police. Their target will be Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, accusing him of inefficiency, sources said.
The ruling Congress will target BJP over alleged injustice meted out to Karnataka by the Centre in devolution of taxes, proposed delimitation exercise, delay in clearances to Mekedatu balancing reservoir and Kalasa Banduri irrigation projects.
Treasury empty, does budget have any point, asks HDK
Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday wondered at the relevance of the budget session, which starts on Monday, stating that the government treasury is empty and a lot of money has leaked out. “The people of the state have cooperated in filling the government coffers as huge taxes were imposed on them to fund the guarantees,” he told reporters in Koppal.