As Congress govt completes 100 days in office, BJP lists "100 failures" of Siddaramaiah regime
Bengaluru, Aug 29: The opposition BJP in Karnataka on Tuesday brought out a booklet on the ''100 failures'' of the state government, which has just completed 100 days in office, in fulfilling its promises.
The party also charged the Congress government with pursuing politics of vengeance, while also alleging glaring financial indiscipline has resulted in delayed salaries to a section of the government employees.
When asked to comment on the BJP ''charge-sheet'' (booklet), Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hit out at the J P Nadda-led party asking: ''What moral right they have? They were drowned in corruption during their tenure.''
Siddaramaiah denied that his government is targeting the previous BJP government. He said the Congress, when it was in the opposition, had demanded a probe into alleged scams during the BJP regime like ''Police Sub-Inspector recruitment scandal'' and ''40 per cent commission charge'' but they were not investigated.
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The Congress government has now ordered probe into such scams which it had demanded when it was in the opposition, the Chief Minister said.
Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel and former Minister Govind Karjol released a booklet titled 'Kai Kotta Yojanegalu-Hali Tappida Adalita' (washing hands of schemes-Derailed Administration) explaining the '100 failures' of the Siddaramaiah government.
The Siddaramaiah government, which assumed office on May 20, has betrayed people by not fulfilling its promises, Kateel alleged at a press conference.
He said that before coming to power, the Congress had announced five 'guarantees' (pre-poll promises) and made ''speeches on corruption''. However, by putting conditions on these guarantees later, the government has backtracked from its promises, Kateel said.
Kateel alleged there are two ministers facing corruption charges but the government did not take any action against them.
According to him, investors are also moving out of the state due to inadequate power supply. ''There is drought in the state. There were no rains due to which farmers are forced to block roads. The farmers are staring at power outage. The government did not announce any pro-farmer scheme,'' Kateel said.
The BJP leader explained that Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi under which Rs 6,000 is credited into the account of farmers every year.
When Bommai was the Chief Minister, he decided to add Rs 4,000 more from the state government to the Central scheme. This way, farmers were getting Rs 10,000 every year, he added.
''The Congress today has curtailed the scheme. This is an anti-farmer government. Corruption has spread its tentacles from Panchayat office to the CM office,'' Kateel charged. ''More than anything, this government is pursuing the politics of vengeance. It is jailing those writing anything on social media against it. There is a sort of emergency here,'' he alleged.
Addressing reporters, Bommai said the government has failed in financial discipline.
''We had presented a surplus budget in February this year but when they (Congress government) came to power, they borrowed Rs 8,000 crore. They have increased taxes exorbitantly,'' the former CM claimed.
According to him, there were repercussions of the financial indiscipline.
''There is a delay in the salaries paid to government employees. Many board and corporation employees are not getting their full salaries. This government did not construct even a kilometre road after coming to power be it rural roads, national highways or state highways. Not a single km road they built,'' Bommai charged.
He also alleged that during the previous stint of Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister from 2013 to 2018, more than 4,500 farmers died by suicide. ''Now again the trends are showing up''.
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Silver, gold script sharp comeback as US-Iran ceasefire calms global jitter
New Delhi (PTI): Silver prices surged Rs 11,000 to Rs 2.51 lakh per kilogram in the national capital on Wednesday, while gold advanced to Rs 1.56 lakh per 10 grams amid strong global cues after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
According to the All India Sarafa Association, the white metal zoomed by Rs 11,000, or nearly 5 per cent, to Rs 2,51,000 per kg (inclusive of all taxes) from Tuesday's closing level of Rs 2,40,000 per kg.
Gold of 99.9 per cent purity also appreciated by Rs 3,200, or 2.09 per cent, to Rs 1,56,400 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). It settled at Rs 1,53,200 per 10 grams in the previous market session.
Analysts said bullion prices strengthened as geopolitical tensions in West Asia eased, triggering a broader relief rally across global financial markets.
Gold maintained strong gains and approached a three-week high on Wednesday as improved global risk sentiment, along with a pullback in US dollar and crude oil prices, boosted demand for precious metals, Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst of Commodities at HDFC Securities, said.
The positive momentum came after an agreement reached just before a self-imposed deadline by US President Donald Trump, who confirmed a pause in military action, conditional on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran also signalled that safe passage through the Strait would be possible during the ceasefire period, further easing supply concerns.
In the overseas markets, spot gold gained USD 97.48, or 2.07 per cent, to USD 4,803.33 per ounce, while silver was trading 6 per cent higher at USD 77.33 per ounce.
"Spot gold in the international markets surged on Wednesday after the announcement of a temporary ceasefire in the Iran war," Praveen Singh, Head of Commodities at Mirae Asset Sharekhan, said.
He added that commodities, bonds and equities rallied after crude oil prices crashed nearly 20 per cent on the ceasefire announcement, as a decline in energy rates will reduce interest rate hike chances by global central banks, including the US Federal Reserve.
Echoing similar sentiments, Kaynat Chainwala, AVP Commodity Research, Kotak Securities, said precious metal prices rose up to 7 per cent as the dollar slipped below 99 on US-Iran ceasefire relief, temporarily easing fears of prolonged energy supply shocks and the associated inflationary fallout.
The rally in bullion ran alongside a broader relief rally in global markets. Throughout the conflict, gold's traditional safe-haven appeal has been tempered by liquidity stress, as investors were compelled to liquidate bullion positions to cover losses elsewhere in their portfolios, she added.
"With the ceasefire conditional and compliance around the Strait of Hormuz still uncertain, any signs of a breach or collapse could quickly reverse sentiment and renew downside risk across precious metals," Chainwala said.
