BJP chief Vijayendra slams Cong govt over Waqf notices to farmers, fund crunch
New Delhi (PTI): Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra on Friday launched a blistering attack on the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, accusing it of issuing controversial Waqf land notices to farmers and discontinuing central schemes to fund its poll guarantees.
In an interview to PTI, Vijayendra claimed growing dissent within Congress ranks, with MLAs reportedly frustrated over frozen constituency development funds and the chief minister's leadership style.
"Siddaramaiah consistently blames the Centre to hide his administrative failures. The state's resources are poorly managed," the BJP state chief said, highlighting what he called a "desperate" situation in Karnataka's governance.
He alleged that on one hand the ruling party is unable to fulfil the poll guarantees, while on the other hand the development activities have come to a standstill across all 224 assembly constituencies as legislators are unable to secure grants for local projects, he said.
"Out of 224 assembly constituencies, no MLAs are getting grants for development activities," the son of former chief minister of Karnataka B S Yediyurappa claimed.
The BJP chief particularly criticised recent policy decisions that he claimed hurt the poor, including hikes in milk prices, fuel costs, stamp duty, and a 20 percent increase in government hospital charges.
"All these decisions of the Siddaramaiah government are affecting both the poor and farmers," he stated.
The comments by Vijayendra came even as BJP intensified its protests against notices issued to farmers under the Waqf law.
"We are holding dharnas across the state. Our senior leaders will tour Karnataka in December first week against this move," he said, adding, "In the name of Waqf, poor farmers should not be cheated and their land should not be taken away."
He alleged that Siddaramaiah has directed district commissioners to issue notices to farmers, triggering widespread protests.
On controversy over cancellation of 12 lakh BPL cards in the state, Vijayendra said, "We don't oppose removing illegal beneficiaries, but cancelling cards just because someone has a PAN card is unscientific."
Regarding internal party dynamics, he acknowledged some resistance to his leadership but expressed confidence in uniting all factions.
"Few senior leaders might need some more time to accept. At the end of the day, I am confident that I will be successful in taking everybody together in the interest of the party," he said.
The BJP leader also predicted BJP victories in Sandur and Shigoan, while expressing confidence in JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy's win in Channapatna.
The party is currently focused on strengthening its presence in Hyderabad Karnataka and Old Karnataka regions, he added, as part of their strategy to return to power with an absolute majority.
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Karnataka fast-tracks investment approvals, cuts red tape across key clearances: Minister Patil
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Saturday said the state government has fast-tracked approvals for investment projects and taken measures to cut red tape.
He said that since 2022, Karnataka has approved 2,028 projects worth Rs 5.11 lakh crore, which could create 7.16 lakh jobs.
Of these, Rs 69,564 crore has already been realised, generating 1.06 lakh jobs, he added.
“Karnataka fast-tracks approvals, cuts red tape,” the Minister for Large & Medium Industries said.
“Clear results of our government’s push to speed up approval processes are now evident. Not only have investment agreements been secured, but effective implementation is also underway,” he said in a post on X.
He added that simplified and swift approval processes are boosting investor confidence and providing greater impetus to industrial growth across the state.
“Karnataka’s investment-friendly environment is further strengthened by its culture of ease of doing business,” he said.
Noting that Karnataka is fast-tracking approvals and aligning departments and districts for on-ground delivery, the minister said: “We have overhauled 18 key approvals, cutting land use change clearance time from 120 to 45 days, fire NOC from 60 to 21 days, factory plan approvals from 30 to 14 days, and electrical approvals to just 10 days.”
In a competitive landscape, Karnataka is acting decisively to ensure faster decisions, fewer delays, and a truly pro-industry ecosystem, he added.
