Mysuru: BJP’s achievement is raising Rs 165 lakh crore debt, says KPCC spokesperson M. Lakshman
Mysuru: KPCC spokesperson M. Lakshman on Wednesday strongly criticised the Union Budget, calling it corporate-driven, baseless and lacking long-term vision. He alleged that the BJP government’s achievement was pushing the country into massive debt amounting to Rs 165 lakh crore.
Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan in Mysuru, Lakshman said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented a budget of Rs 53.50 lakh crore for 2026, marking her ninth budget and increasing the size by Rs 4 lakh crore compared to the previous year.
He said that from Independence in 1947 till March 21, 2014, the total national debt stood at Rs 53.2 lakh crore. However, in the 12 years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office, the national debt has increased by Rs 218.6 lakh crore. “The Centre’s major achievement is raising loans worth Rs 165 lakh crore. The government should explain how many welfare schemes have been implemented using this borrowed money,” he questioned.
Lakshman said the country pays nearly Rs 13 lakh crore every year as interest on loans, while the principal repayment stands at around Rs 18 lakh crore.
Referring to infrastructure projects, he said that the Mysuru-Bengaluru road was constructed through private investment of nearly Rs 15,000 crore and people have to pay 1 thousand Rupees as toll to travel once, he said.
He further alleged that the Union Budget lacked clarity and failed to address the financial concerns of Karnataka. He pointed out that Karnataka stands second in the country in tax collection after Maharashtra. “Every year, the state contributes nearly Rs 5.26 lakh crore to the Centre through nine types of taxes. As per the 14th Monetary Policy Commission, 41% of this amount should be returned by the Centre. However, instead of receiving Rs 2 lakh crore, Karnataka is getting only about Rs 60,000 crore,” he said.
He said that Uttar Pradesh, which contributes around Rs 6 lakh crore in taxes, receives Rs 2.18 lakh crore in return, while Madhya Pradesh gets Rs 1.11 lakh crore out of its Rs 2.5 lakh crore tax contribution. “Despite contributing significantly, Karnataka is being neglected,” he said.
He said the proposed Bengaluru-Hyderabad train, is not a bullet train but merely an upgraded version of the existing service that may reduce travel time by about an hour.
He further accused the Centre of not providing funds or approvals for major irrigation projects such as Bhadra Upper Bank, Krishna Upper Bank, Mekedatu and Mahadayi. “Even if funds are not provided, it is okay, but the Centre is not granting necessary clearances for these projects also,” he said.
Congress city president R. Murthy, media spokesperson Mahesh, KPCC spokesperson Najma Nazeer, vice president Gopi, youth wing president Abrar, Mahadev, Girish and other leaders were present at the press conference.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
