BENGALURU: Opposition BJP legislators in the Assembly continued to attack Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s budget on Tuesday as a “halal budget” that appeased the Muslim community with an allocation of Rs 4,000 crore. Senior leader Araga Jnanendra alleged that the budget will push the state into a debt trap as it has borrowed Rs 1.16 lakh crore, and total liabilities have increased to Rs 7.64 crore.
Citing the Action Taken Report (ATR) on the 2024-25 budget, he alleged that the CM has tactfully created an illusion with Rs 4.09 lakh crore outlay, and most of the announcements will not get realised. Congress legislators KM Shivalinge Gowda and K Shadakshari argued that the ATR has no mention of projects in progress, and will reflect the entire spend only after the financial year ends in March. Speaker UT Khader said the ATR is a preliminary one and a complete report will come later.
Araga also criticised the Rs 100-crore allocation to set up Maulana Azad Public Schools.
“Why should there be schools based on religion and caste when we want the state to be a ‘sarva janangada shantiya tota’ (garden of all communities). Children should study in a diverse environment but a separate school will further isolate Muslims,” he said.
Deputy Leader of Opposition Arvind Bellad termed it a “halal budget” that keeps Muslims in isolation.
“You are borrowing a huge loan of Rs 1.16 lakh crore to feed biryani. The budget is a halal budget... it is not beneficial for Muslims,” he alleged.
“The state has borrowed to spend. Rs 40,000 crore revenue is expected from excise, and Rs 36,000 crore will come from alcohol, which is mostly consumed by the poor. This will cause harm to Karnataka.”