Day not far off when Congress will come back to power in Karnataka, says Former CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Mar 15: The day was not far off when the Congress would occupy the treasury benches in the Karnataka Assembly, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said as he asserted that the party would come back to power after the next assembly polls in 2023.
The former Chief Minister targeted the ruling BJP on various fronts, especially over its handling of the state's finances.
Speaking during the discussion on the budget, he questioned whether anyone could call it a good one, prompting Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to intervene and ask "what would you have done if you were in my position."?
To this, Siddaramaiah retorted that if he were given the opportunity, he would have said what has to be done.
"...You give up the seat for me, I will say (what should have been done). People will certainly give us (the position) next time...they will change (the party in power). The day is not far off when we will come and occupy your seat We will come back (to power)," he asserted.
The LoP also said that looking at the way the government was functioning, people would not sit quiet during the next assembly election.
Replying to Siddaramaiah, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai tried to justify the presentation of the deficit budget by stating that it was unprecedented due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He pointed out that when Siddaramaiah was Chief Minister in the past, revenue surplus had dwindled despite there being no pandemic or economic slowdown and said the people, looking at their performance, had made them sit in the opposition.
"How can you come back when your performance is so dismal? it is impossible," Bommai added.
Siddaramaiah said probably never in the history of Karnataka had such an 'anti-development' budget been presented.
A revenue deficit budget had never been presented since 2004-05 till date in the state after the passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, he said.
"This is for the first time that a deficit budget has been presented," he said.
Noting that Karnataka would have borrow a loan to set right the revenue deficit, Siddaramaiah, who has held the finance portfolio in the past, said the loan is usually taken for asset creation.
He also expressed deep concern over raising committed expenditure and urged the government to take corrective measures immediately.
Targeting the government for its 'inability' to get the state's share of funds and grants from the centre, he asked, "why did you fail to take it or ask the PM for it?
Despite having 25 BJP MPs from Karnataka, the Finance Minister also represents the state...are you scared? I fail to understand. It is our right."
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Heavy rain, hailstorms lash parts of Uttarakhand; all districts put on high alert
Dehradun (PTI): Heavy rain and hailstorms accompanied by strong winds lashed several districts of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning, prompting the state administration to put all district authorities on high alert.
The sudden change in weather caused uprooted trees to block roads and disrupted power supply at various locations.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman chaired a review meeting with district officials to assess the situation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain and thunderstorms at most places across all districts for Monday and Tuesday. Snowfall is expected in regions situated at altitudes of 4,000 metres and above.
An 'orange alert' remains in place for Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar. These districts are likely to witness isolated heavy rain, hailstorms, and intense to very intense spells of rain accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph, the IMD said.
The weather office predicted that maximum temperatures across the state are likely to fall by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the next three to four days. During the past 24 hours, maximum temperatures remained "markedly below normal" in the plains and ranged from "markedly" to "appreciably" below normal in the hilly regions.
Dehradun experienced dark, overcast skies early Sunday, creating night-like conditions during morning hours. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 34.7 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average.
For the state capital, the forecast predicts a partly to generally cloudy sky with a high of 31 degrees Celsius and a low of 19 degrees Celsius.
Significant rainfall was recorded across the state after 8.30 am on Sunday, with Jollygrant receiving 21.6 mm and Mohakampur recording 19.8 mm. Other areas, including Mukteshwar (15.0 mm), Mussoorie (13.4 mm), and Pithoragarh (8.5 mm), also saw measurable precipitation.
Secretary Suman directed officials to clear blocked roads on priority to ensure public convenience. Specific instructions were issued regarding the Char Dham Yatra, ordering that helicopter services must operate strictly according to weather conditions to ensure pilgrims' safety.
Isolated places in the remaining hilly districts are also expected to experience thunderstorms with lightning and intense rain spells.
