Got raw deal in budget, no point in attending NITI Aayog meeting, says Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Jul 24: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday defended the Congress government's decision to boycott the July 27 meeting of the NITI Aayog, saying the State has got a raw deal in the Union Budget and its interests have not been protected.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday the decision was taken as a mark of protest against the "neglect" of the state’s demands in the Union Budget.
“What is the point of attending NITI Aayog meeting when it doesn’t have ‘neeti’? Karnataka has got a raw deal in the Union Budget. The State has not got any projects and its interests have not been protected. We have decided to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting and stage a protest instead,” Shivakumar told reporters here.
Siddaramaiah had said that despite his earnest efforts in calling for an all party meeting of MPs in New Delhi to discuss Karnataka's essential needs, the Union Budget has neglected the State's demands.
ALSO READ: K'taka to boycott NITI Aayog meeting chaired by PM, over neglect of state in budget: CM Siddaramaiah
"Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who attended the meeting, has ignored the concerns of the people of Karnataka. We don't feel Kannadigas are heard, and hence there is no point in attending the NITI Aayog meeting," the Chief Minister had said.
Meanwhile, when asked about the BJP's opposition to the proposed Greater Bengaluru Governance (GBA) Bill, Shivakumar said: “They are trying to politicise this. I don’t do anything in a hurry, I have only tabled it. Let them debate on it in detail and then take a decision. Bengaluru is growing in an uncontrolled way and it needs good governance.”
The Karnataka government on Tuesday tabled the proposed Bill which aims at establishing a maximum of ten city corporations in order to decentralise municipal administration.
The bill moots the founding of the GBA with Chief Minister as the ex-officio chairperson, the minister in charge of Bengaluru as vice-chairperson and the chief commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority as member secretary.
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Ramdas Athawale backs Fadnavis as Maharashtra CM; says Shinde can shift to Centre
New Delhi, Nov 26: RPI(A) leader Ramdas Athawale, a key BJP ally, on Tuesday called for a quick decision on the next chief minister of Maharashtra and suggested that incumbent Eknath Shinde should shift to the Centre as a Union minister.
Addressing a press conference here, Athawale also backed senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister of Maharashtra, contending that the saffron party won the maximum number of seats in the 288-member Assembly and should have the right to the top executive post in the state.
He said a peculiar situation has arisen in Maharashtra where BJP leaders want Fadnavis as the chief minister, while Shiv Sena leaders want Shinde to continue in the post, citing the good work he has done over the last two and a half years.
Athawale, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, said NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has declared that he was not in the race for the chief minister.
"We need to resolve this matter, without any further delay. The election results were announced on November 23 and we should have had the oath of the new chief minister on November 26, the Constitution Day," Athawale said.
Backing Fadnavis for the post of chief minister, Athawale said Shinde can become the deputy chief minister or shift to the Centre and join the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Athawale said his RPI(A) has a presence in every part of the state, but unfortunately lost the two seats -- Dharavi and Kalina -- offered to it in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections.
He demanded that an RPI member be made an MLC and a minister in the state government.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections winning 235 seats in the 288-member House. The BJP won 132 seats, followed by Shinde-led Shiv Sena (57) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP (41). Smaller parties, who are part of the alliance, won five seats.
