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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4 children test HIV positive in MP govt hospital; contaminated blood transfusion suspected
Satna/Bhopal (PTI): Four children suffering from thalassemia have tested HIV positive at Satna District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh allegedly due to contaminated blood transfusions, officials said on Tuesday.
The case is four months old and an investigation is underway into it, an official said.
Officials suspect the use of contaminated needles or blood transfusions for the spread of infection to the children.
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MP Health Minister Rajendra Shukla told reporters in Bhopal that he has ordered a probe into the matter and sought a report.
“It is also being investigated whether the blood transfusion took place in other hospitals also or only in the government hospital,” he said.
The affected children, aged between 12 and 15 years, received blood transfusions from the hospital's blood bank, as per an official.
Devendra Patel, in-charge of the blood bank at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel District Hospital in Satna, said four children have tested HIV positive and an investigation is underway to determine how they got infected.
"Either an infected needle was used or a blood transfusion occurred. These are the two main reasons I believe. Blood transfusion seems to be the most likely cause," he told PTI Videos.
All these children suffer from thalassemia, and some have received 80 or 100 blood transfusions, he said.
A family member of one of the affected children said that their child was found to be HIV positive during a routine checkup about four months back, and he has been receiving medication, but it had proven to be of no use.
After taking the medication for HIV, the child starts vomiting, feels low and becomes ill, he said.
After the four children were detected with HIV infection, their family members were also tested and the results came out negative, he added.
The Opposition Congress targeted the government over the matter and demanded the resignation of Health Minister Shukla.
Speaking to reporters in Bhopal, Congress MLA and former minister Sachin Yadav claimed such incidents were continuously occurring in Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier, a case of toxic cough syrup came to light in Chhindwara, followed by incidents of rat bites at hospitals in Indore and Satna, and now children have been given HIV-infected blood, he said.
"The health minister is unable to manage the department. He should resign. A murder case should be filed against those responsible for the Satna incident," Yadav said.
Senior Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma termed it a failure of the government. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's government has no connection with ground realities, he charged.
"Somewhere rats are roaming in hospitals, somewhere children are being given HIV-infected blood. Instead of preventing HIV, you are spreading it. Mohan Yadav should wake up from his slumber. Children are the nation's heritage and should be taken care of," he added.
